


The Streets are Aglow Come Midnight

by Smol_Stressed_Bunny



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: A very Twin Peaks vibe, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - High School, Established Relationship, Except Poe, F/F, F/M, Film Noir, Fluff and Angst, It's mildly difficult to tag this because I'm trying to keep it wrapped in mystery, M/M, Supernatural Elements, That's just something that happens around it, They're all about 18 yrs old, Trippy, Unqualified detectives, Werewolf!Kylo, Witch!Rey, Witchcraft, and finn, angel!Finn, but not exclusively, embedded symbolism, halloween fic, littered with fuck yous, pop culture references, russian doll moments, vampire!Poe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-02-27 14:54:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13250574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smol_Stressed_Bunny/pseuds/Smol_Stressed_Bunny
Summary: He stood with bleeding, shaking hands. "Ben," He turned to see Rey staring at him. Her face illuminated by moonlight and contorted in fear. "Are you okay?"He fell.*"Good afternoon, ma'am. I'm Detective Storm and this is my partner, Detective Poe Dameron." He displayed his Badge ID to the woman. "May we come in? We'd like to discuss your son."*Rey and Ben walked down the street, surrounded by forest trees and gray sky. The gentle chimes of the wind passing through the leaves could soothe even the most troubled creatures.*The gunshot rang throughout the area, echoing from end to end and so, he sprinted.*"You're going somewhere else- Into things you shouldn't know." he bled his words out to Poe.*Rey clapped her hands together as an eager smile played on her lips. "Let's do it then."





	1. Chapter 1

Rey rested her head on one hand while the other raked through Ben's hair as he laid his head on her stomach. They were both lying on the rooftop of Ben's house. After school Rey would stop by and they would talk to each other.

"So you still have no idea?" Ben asked, glancing up at her.

"I don't. I'd like to help people and make a difference in other's lives." Rey replied. The air was chilly, and she could feel the hairs on her arm standing on end. Is was a conversation they've had many times before. They would be graduating at the end of the year. "How's your writing going?"

"So much better," He said. They stayed there, silent for a moment before Poe popped up above the edge of the rooftop, then Finn joined as well.

"You're going to make the whole roof fall," Ben griped at them, sitting up as they clambered over.

"Are you guys gonna be going trick or treating?" Poe asked. The vampire had his leather jacket covering his arms and an umbrella perched on his shoulder, shielding himself from the sun.

Rey turned her head to him, glaring in confusion. "How old do you think we are?"

Poe shrugged without giving it a second thought.

"I think I would lose Rey in a group of large children." Ben laughed and turned back to watch Rey set her jaw and huff. 

"Ben Solo, I am not even _somewhat_  short!" She shouted, but Ben continued on as though he couldn't hear her.

"Although, I believe Jess is going." Ben scratched behind his ear. Ben wasn't great friends with Finn or Poe, and he never spoke much with them, but he didn't mind too much anymore.

"No, she was grounded for sneaking out late." Finn chimed in as he sat across from Poe.

"what was she out doing?" Rey asked.

"I don't know, but can you really be that surprised by it? You can't just watch a child like they're prey and not expect 'Escape' to be a frequent thought on the fritz up there." Finn gestured to his head.

"Odds are she's done it several times before, but only this time she got caught." Poe grabbed the sunglasses off his shirt and set them on his eyes. The sun wasn't glaring so much in October, but it was still more than enough to damage him.

 

Poe took a seat next to Finn, holding the umbrella above the angel as well.

"Why do you ask?" She turned her head to Poe.

Poe sighed. "I just can't stop thinking about food,"

Rey smiled at him, before placing her hand on Ben's shoulder and standing up. She dressed in her cloak and boots and around her neck hung her blue Kyber crystal.

Perfect for a witch.

_______________________

The sound of Rey's footfalls was all that filled the silence of the outside of the building. School was out right now to prepare for the Halloween dance, but the high school was close enough to Ben's house. And all she wanted to do was quickly pick up some snacks.

She rounded the corner of the white brick building and found the vending machine. It was filled with small bags of chips and pretzels and such. She walked up to the machine and inserted coins into the slot. After pressing the soft buttons to order the bags of chips she, not for the first time, noticed that the black paint that once was had begun chipping away. While Rey waited for the machine to release the food, she admired the scenery around her.

The trees were quickly growing pale,

 _Silence_.

The sky was the lightest shade of blue,

 _Silence_.

There was dampness on the ground from last night's rainfall.

_So very quiet._

There'd been a shift in the air. That quiet- That on any other day would've welcomed her- had a much more grim feeling. She began fidgeting to distract herself, taking the bottom two knots of hair out and letting her chestnut hair fall to her shoulders as she pressed her lips between her teeth.

Rey was brought back to reality when she heard the bags fall. She jerked her head back to the machine. The sound alone had made her to jump. She crouched down and stuffed the snacks into her satchel.

"I have to go." She spoke to no one in particular but herself as she gripped her Kyber crystal. The wind had now picked up considerably and so had her walking pace. All the cold air was beginning to make the throat feel cold. She began slowing down her breath to calm down.

She brought herself a steady stride. Rounding a corner to the left, she stopped suddenly. Shocked, frozen, blank, and it made her eyes sting. She saw what had caused her the distress. It was Pava.

Laying dead on the floor was Jessika Pava. She had a cassette tape at her thigh and a gun in her hand.

There was a scream begging and pleading to leave her body. Rey rushed to her lifeless body despite herself.

(Even a little shout would do good.) Her mouth hung open trying to get the ach out of her chest, she gasped and cried. She hadn't known her for very long, but they were friends. Rey knew enough about to know she didn't do this herself.

That was the thought that finally pushed out the scream she'd been burrowing in her chest.

_______________________

After calling the police, officers were sent over to the crime scene. They covered the body and asked Rey multiple questions about Pava and anything else she might know. Through tears, Rey answered all she could. She watched as the officers took pictures and did a sweep of the area, withholding any and all information from her.

"Rey." She turned away from the officer and saw Ben speeding to her. She held her hand out when she saw him, an absentminded action she developed as time went on with him. 

Reaching out to her, he grasped her hand in his and gazed down at her. The red eyeshadow she wore was now smudged and runny around her hazel eyes.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked.

"I'll be okay." She mumbled. And with that, he held her to his chest. Standing there, he gazed up at the cloudy sky. The moon was already beginning to show. Nearly full as well.

_So soon?_

A large man- Plutt, his nametag read- walked over to the couple and didn't appear to be the happiest of fellows, with his scowl and pale face. Ben kept his eyes on the him as he stomped closer to them. "Afternoon, I'm Officer Unkar Plutt. I'm the Sheriff. I was assigned to this case." He said in a deep voice. There was a slight hint of an english accent. Plutt pulled a small notebook from out of the pocket of his bland brown uniform.

"I've already answered all I can." Rey told the Sheriff, but he ignored her completely.

"Name?" He was addressing Ben. Ben looked up from Rey and saw that the man looking at him with his permanent scowl.

"Ben Solo." He answered. Unkar wrote the name down on the piece of paper. If Rey listened closely she could hear Plutt mutter something crass under his breath. And if she didn't already dislike him, that did the trick.

"Did you know miss Pava?"

"Yes. We went to high school together."

"And you were friends?"

"As much as you could be without speaking to her often."

Plutt continued to write everything down. He looked at Rey again. "Would you say you were friends with Pava?"

"Yes. She was nice. Jessika liked everybody." Rey glanced up at him.

"And did you know her while you were at the orphanage?" The tone in which he said it told her that Plutt might be getting to a point soon.

Nonetheless, she took offense. Her brows scrunched together slightly. "In the later years, I did."

"Was this before of after your incident there?"

"Excuse me?" Rey was now glaring at him.

"You are Rey of the Jakku orphanage, yes?" Unkar glanced up from his black notepad, a look on his face that seemed like he was trying to play clueless. 

Ben could feel his hand clench into a fist, and judging from the fire in Rey's eyes...she had the same idea. Rey closed her eyes, biting down on her pink lips, and opened them again.

"Yes. I am."

"Apparently, a few years back there was a Rey there- fit your profile too-" He gestured to her face. "She got into witchcraft and had a talent for it. Only, her newly found powers were too much for her and once while she was practicing, she lost control and unleashed Hellfire in her home. A few people had been screwed all up from it. And I haven't even told you the damage of the orphanage..."

Rey didn't know what to say, so she let her body language do most of the talking. Her chin was lowered, her jaw clenched, and she could _feel_  her crystal glow from the emotion coursing through her.

"Watch it, you goddamn lunatic." Ben stepped in, snarling at Plutt.

"And where to begin with you, Kylo Ren..." Plutt's head turned to the animal standing before him. The werewolf wouldn't back down from Unkar, though. "I want you two out of here. Now."

Then, Ben sensed two others coming over towards them He turned his head to see Poe, Finn, and Rose rushing to the scene. "What's going on now?" Finn asked.

Unkar Plutt put on a calm face. "It was a suicide. There was a cassette tape with a goodbye note and after that, a gunshot going off. We have officers helping clea-"

"How could she stop and rewind the tape after the gunshot went off?" Rose asked with a cool exterior.  Her hair was pulled up in a knot while her bangs hung down her face. She was a friend of Poe and Finn's, one of the smartest people in school. Just watching her one might assume she was always on a mission.

"We need everybody to clear from the crime scene now." Plutt made a gesture that told everyone to move along.

_______________________

After visiting the crime scene, Rose was sick- appalled really. She needed time alone to collect her thoughts. She had been strolling through the park, thinking that she ought to go home and hug her sister. This certainly was one way to make you grateful for those you have.

_______________________

The police got a hold of Jessika's parents.

They'd been consistently sobbing for hours, as had most of the town. Her mother had become so tired from all the energy being drained from her that she was finally able to carry out a conversation to give the police information about Jessika.

_______________________

Poe was miserable. The moment he got home, Jessika's death had sunken in. Walking through the doorway and flipping on the lights, his pup, Bebe sped to him and tried his hardest to jump all the way up to Poe's face.

Poe picked him up and smiled at Bebe. "There's my boy," He held him to his chest, burying his face into his fur as sorrow gripped at his heart. Poe could feel his chest getting tighter and his face strain. Even after all the years he's lived through and all the lives that he's had touch and go, it killed him every time. Poe lowered to the ground because his legs were shaky.

Tears stung at his eyes. It hurt too much, so he gave in and let out a quiet sob, pinching his eyes closed, as it pained him to keep them open. All this was killing his head.

He stood up despite the ache. "Finn," Poe called out.

And Finn appeared, embracing him.

_______________________

Rey crashed out in the passenger seat of Ben's car from the adrenaline rush. Ben drove out to his parent's and let her sleep on his bed. He figured Han and Leia wouldn't be there, and he was shocked to walk in on the two having a civil conversation with each other on the couch- as were they, to see Ben carrying a sleeping girl in his arms.

They all kept awkwardly silent as Ben carted her upstairs, into his bedroom, and then jog back downstairs to greet them and discuss all that had happened, only to be interrupted by his mother.

"Wait, who's the girl?" Leia asked, holding up her hand.

It was then that Ben remembered how little he's told his parents about himself. He, hesitantly at first, began telling them _everything._

___________   _The next day..._  ____________

Rose woke everyone up (her idea of everyone being Poe, Finn, Rey, and Ben) with a phone call- a very brief message that went, "Okay, I am very tired and upset and high." She let out a long breath, a plea with herself not to cry. "We have to do something. We cannot let this go. I can't, anyhow." Her voice grew stronger then. "Will you guys help me? Please come meet me at Rob's Diner."

_______________________

Rey lazily set the phone down and rubbed the sleep from her hazel eyes, further smearing red off her eyelids and along the palms of her hands. She couldn't care this early in the morning, never could.

Wait

Oh, this is Ben's bedroom. She remembered waking on his soft black bedsheets a few times before. Around her were many, many tightly packed books in bookshelves, his calligraphy set on the desk beside her, and a small T.V. playing Donnie Darko.

Rey was about to stand up to tell Ben about Rose's phone call, but just before she could swing her feet the floor, she found Ben laying right beside the bed. Just laying sound asleep on the carpet. Rey stifled a laugh. She could recall Ben telling her that he'd had insomnia for a good portion of his life, so she always hated to wake him when he looked so tranquil.

Rey adjusted so she was now on her stomach before gently shaking Ben awake. His eyelids fluttered open and he stretched for bit. "What's the matter?" He asked and then yawned right after.

She responded by merely holding the phone back up. "We have to go meet Rose in a diner,"

"Why would anyone do that?"

" _Why are you in that stupid man costume?"_ The movie interrupted the two.

"She wants to know who killed Pava, and because she's asking for our help."

Ben sat up and grabbed his alarm clock from the nightstand. "Sweetheart, It's five in the morning."

Rey responded by extending her arms out and ruffling his hair.

And that was that.


	2. Coffee and feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew talks plans in the diner and Rose takes a very brief walk through memory lane.

Rose anxiously bounced her leg and checked the clock religiously. _They'll come. Who are you kidding?_  She thought to herself as she continued her stressful leg bouncing. She'd been awake for too long and the only thing that continued that was the large quantities of entirely black coffee.

She nearly jumped when she heard the door open to Poe (with Bebe and his usual umbrella) and Finn walking in, then Ben carting Rey on his back. Rose waved to them enthusiastically, signalling them over.

She met them halfway and walked them over to a more secluded area in the diner. She tried to smile at them, but it felt forced so he stopped trying with that for a while. She was new to Rey and Ben, she'd gotten close with Finn and Poe. Poe was her sister, Paige's best friend. And she lost it when she first saw that Finn was an angel.

That was the first time Finn tried to use his wings. They were beautiful wings- dramatically white feathers that were a stark contrast with his soft dark skin. He failed then, half-assed jumps in the school hallway. He was completely lost with how to move them.

imagine waking up with a brand new limb and now you must figure out how to move a muscle that you had no idea even existed before- That was the simplest way of expressing how Finn felt. Only, anyone else sees this particular limb could end up getting him dissected God knows where.

Soft footsteps caused Finn to stop everything. He struggled to hide his new wings. He tried backing up to the tile wall, but they were much larger than himself. Rose rounded the corner, she didn't even notice him until he sped into the near closet and slammed the door. It was safe to say that she saw him and now had her full attention.

She quickly set her yellow binder on the floor and jogged to the closet. Knocking on the door, she called out to the man. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm just fine. You can leave now."

"Are you sure? I can help you."

Finn peaked the door open just enough that he could get his head out. She stopped and studied his face. He was sweating profusely.

"In that case, what are you doing? I've never seen you before." Rose asked him, becoming increasingly curious of him. She kept trying to peek behind the door, and Finn kept blocking her. "What are y-" She paused suddenly. "Are you cooking meth?"

Finn looked puzzled to say the least. "No. No, I'm not cooking meth."

Rose cocked her eyebrow at him. "Well, we certainly have the lab for it." She shoved the door open the rest of the way, and was stunned at what she found. Two huge, bright wings fastened to the man's back. A simple, "Wow..." was all she could get out.

Finn shut the door again and turned on the light that was just above them. Finn wiped a trickle of sweat off his brow. "At least someone's happy about this,"

Rose fixed her gaze back to his. "What are talking about? This is so cool. Can I touch them?"

Before he could answer, Rose was already gripping at the feathers in awe. "Can you actually fly with these?" She asked. Finn glanced around the small room- large for a closet, but still too small to be anything else. The surrounding blue walls that smelled as though a fresh coat was applied recently was a nice touch.

Finn rubbed the nape of his neck to try and relieve the tension. "I can't. I don't know how to move them."

Finn noted the sympathetic look on her face- That slight ' _oh...'_  look that played on her features. "You know," Rose pressed her lips between her teeth. "I read on Wikipedia that temporary paralysis... it's got a lot to with your head, and there's also that scene on Kill Bill-" She stopped talking when she realized that the man clearly had no idea what she was getting at. "You know, the scene with the foot..."

"No." Finn shook his head.

"After the whole..." Rose began gesturing wildly, making a sort of motion as though she were slamming a door repeatedly. "In the car?"

Finn's features only grew with more confusion as he slowly shook his head once more. Rose dropped her hands back to her sides.

"Anyways, I think you should try concentrating on the wing and then tensing the area as much as you can. Same way you'd move any other muscle."

Despite the fact that this girl obviously bewildered him, he did as instructed. Closing his eyes, he breathed in heavily. He did his best to focus all his thoughts to the wings. and thought, very calmly to himself, to flex- Same as any muscle.

And again, _Flex your wings._  And again...

A twitch caused Rose to let out a gasp. She brought her hands to the feathers as she had done before. She pressed down on the bone slightly. Finn flexed again, this time all he could move were his shoulder blades.

"Keep going," She urged him on.

Finn dragged in a breath, and kept going. The both wings jolted upward this time, which was more than enough to start a ruckus in the big closet. Finn gaped and Rose excitedly smacked at his arm.

They were great friends since that day on.

"Rose?" Poe called out to her, kicking her back to the present. "What are we doing?"

"Oh, well first we have to meet my... friend, DJ." She walked them over to a somewhat more secluded booth in the diner. Ben lowered Rey to the floor before sharing a puzzled look with her.

There was a table with a man who looked like he might've just woken up, leaning his hip on the end of it. He nodded to Rose at first glance with her, standing up straighter. He was dressed in a thick, gray shirt with jeans and frayed fingerless gloves.

Rose stepped closer to DJ, leaning in close to his ear and whispering something inaudible to the others. In response, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper that had been folded up in a square. Gifting it to Rose, she graciously accepted and nabbed it from his hands. She said her thanks and turned back to her group.

"This is DJ- _The_  DJ, if you're fancy."

"No one here is," Poe spoke up, leaning in to shake his hand, but was instead greeted with a kiss on the forehead.

"Poe Dameron, I know you. Rose has t-t-told me about everyone." DJ made sure to make eye contact with everyone, Rey wouldn't even need to look up at Ben to know he was uncomfortable with it. "From the werewolf, duh-down to the witch." He laid his hand out to Rey, but this only caused Ben to quickly wrapped his arms around her from behind to save her.

He took no offense, in fact DJ hardly registered the action. He sat down and rested his back against the silver, cushioned seat. "So, you wanna get s-s-started here? I was up pretty late getting Rose her list of people to kill." He pointed at the paper in her hands blankly. And it definitely was far too early for someone who had been up much too late.

"Rose's what?" Poe asked. His eyebrows shot up as his head jerked to hers. Poe suddenly seemed awfully maternal of her.

"It's a few people who have become suspects," She calmly explained.

"How long have you two known each other?" Poe asked as he pointed at the two.

"It's been a little while." "She jumped me after I tried to pick her pockets last week." They both answered at once. And while Rose was stunned into silence by DJ's blunt nature, Poe only laughed. 

Poe set Bebe down on the floor. DJ immediately greeted the dog, reaching his arm down to pat him even under the table and referring to him as 'Roundy'. Rose sat next to DJ first, then followed the rest. Unfolding her list of people to kill, Rose slid her paper to the middle of the wooden table, revealing a line of names.

She struck her finger to the first name at the top of the page. "They've gotten to work questioning people pretty quickly. They've covered a lot of people in town."

"Oh Christ, we have an established ' _They'_  now? That's not good." Poe mumbled out. Rey looked over the table to see him barely keeping his eyes open, with his cheek resting on his hand, he wore an emotionless face. It's too early for everyone, but especially a vampire.

Rose continued on like she hadn't heard him. "For example, Armitage Hux." She read aloud. Hearing the name alone caused Ben to glare. Rey took note of his hands tightening into fist before quickly waving at the nearest waitress to grab her attention.

They were all going to need some breakfast and fresh coffee, and Rob's Diner had the best.

After the waitress took their orders Rey leaned in closer to Ben, just inches apart. "Don't forget, later we have to go to meet up with Luke after class."

Ben tried not to groan at the thought. Truthfully, it filled him with anxiety. He hardly ever spoke to his uncle. Ben brought his eyes back to Rey's warm gaze. Slowly taking his hand in hers, he began to sooth his nerves and dragged in a deep breath.

Rey was inches from his face still and hadn't moved since he'd began caressing his thumb along her knuckles. She was entranced, drifting her chin upwards to reach his lips.

DJ's frayed glove waved in front of their faces, snapping them out of the trance and back to reality. Ben could see Poe give a sarcastic thumbs up out of the corner of his eye.

"As we already knew, Jessika's parents don't even live around here. D'qar isn't really in everyone taste, but we do have a good school here. Jesse always talked about going to collage, becoming a pilot- but it wasn't as though she was super open about her family. I didn't even know where they all lived. She got the classes and then booked it."

Finn was listening intently, leaning in on his elbows. "But I take it you just figured that out,"

A smile grew on her face and she turned her head to DJ. "He hacked into some PI's computer and looked at the Pava's records,"

DJ glanced at the pair of smiling faces looking at him. The the only response he could think of was shrugging. "I owed her," He said as the waitress came back to give them their breakfast.

"So what are we doing here?" Ben interrupted. He checked the clock on the wall behind their booth, and noticed that school would be opening again soon. He shifted his gaze back beside him to find Rey pouring a copious amount of sugar into the coffee that had just been handed to her.

"Right. So, I think we should go and get answers from everyone, whether they know us or not. Ben should partner up with Rey, obviously, because she's the only one he wouldn't kill- and she'd could kick his ass, worse case scenario. Poe with Finn, because you two are the only ones old enough to pass as a police officers." Rose answered.

"Hey now," Poe dropped his fork that he'd previously been cutting pancakes with.

"That's a good thing. Embrace it. What was it Bowie once said?" His eyes wandered off before snapping his fingers. "'Aging is an extraordinary process.' Humans are fine wine." Finn looked into the distance as he whispered to Poe.

"And Rey," Rose took a drink of the orange juice sitting in front of her. "can you... I don't know, conjure something up to help in any way?"

Rey held a finger up to Rose, and brought the coffee mug to her lips, eyes closing as the steaming liquid went to her mouth. The drink was quite hot, but incredibly sweet from all the cream and sugar she poured in, which she hadn't seen very often until meeting Ben, who ran mostly on coffee and feelings. She set the mug back down and dropped her finger down to the table as well. "I'll have to dig around, but I'm sure I could."

Rose nodded her head and continued eating. They all agreed to her proposal then they all ate in silence until it got late enough that they had to leave for class.

____________ _An hour after class..._  ____________

Walking up the path, covered with dead leaves and small pumpkins, to Luke's garage-sized library with their arms linked together, they never once spoke of Jessika or what happened to her. They only talked of what was immediately important to them, such as the dance. Jessika was responsible for setting up at least half of it. Someone else might have to take over for her, so Rey volunteered.

They stared down at their shoes as their steps fell along the path ahead. Rey's mind had been occupied with the fact that she'd been so occupied with current events that she forgot to feed and water her flowers. She decided that if she could keep that little plant alive, she ought to gift it to Jessika when the time comes.

Ben managed to keep his mind mostly focussed on their mission and reason being here, save for the occasional dramatic and unlikely scenario of things going horribly.

Before either of them knew it, they were on the cement steps that followed Luke's small library. Rey knocked on the soft orange door first and waited for the door to open to them. Doing so, all previous anxieties faded like music muffled behind a closing door.

________________________

Hearing sudden knocking, Luke almost dropped _The Great Gatsby_  on the floor. He converted his garage into a library when when he went through his brief time of being generally paranoid. He often isolated himself, and let himself come out as more hard-edged than how he usually was. Though It was only for a little while. He decided to keep his library and open it up for others.

 _'There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.'_  He read the line once, twice, then shut the book and stood up to head for the door. He felt a dim anxiety flow through his head. He'd been on meds for the PPD, but this had nothing to do with his paranoia really. He was just worried. He hadn't spoken to Ben in so long. It would've been even longer if not for Rey.

It wasn't long after he started coming back out of his reclusive, shut-in persona, that he found Rey a few months ago. They awkwardly struck up a conversation, which lead to Rey mentioning a "Ben", a werewolf. Luke's eyes instantly widened so much that Rey had looked genuinely worried for a second- very lightly shaking his arm.

Luke's reaction puzzled her to say the least. _Maybe I shouldn't have brought up lycanthropy..._ She thought to herself. He snapped out of his shock then.

"Tall kid, broody about the world, real dark hair?" He asked.

She lost all strain in her face. "Yes. You know Ben Solo?"

He smiled at the girl then nodded his head slightly. They talked about curses and charms for what must've been an hour, and kept in contact ever since.

Before actually opening the door, he went to his curtains and peeked at the pair. Rey wore a dark shade of indigo on her eyelids like her own war paint and her cloak covered her shoulders from the cool air.

He's never seen Ben as grown before. It really has been too long. His wardrobe was still the same as ever. Luke smiled to himself. Head-to-toe in black, a stark contrast to his pale skin. One thing stood out the most- Ben had a thin scar running down his brow and a little ways down his cheek.

His eyes were brought back to Rey when she gazed thoughtfully up at Ben. His expression was as it usually was: hardened and stern. A face fit for commanding armies.

Rey felt a smile play on her lips as she looked at him. No one would've noticed the difference in his demeanor. Rey did. She let her arm drop, and reached her hand down to his.

This made Ben relax his features within an instant. He gazed downwards to meet her smile. This was a common gesture between the two. One that told the other,  _'_ _It'll all be okay. Don't worry your head about this. You're not alone.'_

She loved him, he realized.

Ben silently returned the sentiment by cupping her cheek in his hand and brushing his thumb along her soft skin before placing a kiss on her forehead.

That's enough. Luke took the remaining step to the door and greeted them warmly. He was so glad to see them that before he could stop himself, Luke wrapped them both in a hug. And when he let go, they were all taken aback by it. But he decided it wasn't such a terrible thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rob's diner is a reference to the novelist, Robert R. McCammon, or more directly, his novel "Nightcrawlers" Which was later adapted into an episode on The Twilight Zone, in which a man with an unusual ability terrifies the inhabitants of a diner.
> 
> Yellow binder: the color psychology of yellow is uplifting and illuminating, offering hope, happiness, cheerfulness and fun.
> 
> Silver cushions: gray is solid and stable, creating a sense of calm and composure, relief from a chaotic world.
> 
> Indigo: the psychology there tends to lean more towards deep sincerity.
> 
> Blue walls in the closet: This color is one of trust, responsibility, honesty and loyalty.
> 
> I'm sure I'm forgetting some colors.
> 
> If you have any questions about the fic I welcome them, so drop something in the comments. I promise you an answer back :)
> 
> Shout out to Werewolf-Queen for being my beta and being so fucking supportive. You're so very appreciated.


	3. Posse in Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Finn are getting ready to leave town, when Poe gets sidetracked talking about one of his favorite bands and a conspiracy theory of theirs.
> 
> Rey and Ben are meeting with Luke to find out more about Ben's curse.
> 
> And they finally get to have Jessika's funeral

High upon a shelf sat dozens of records and CDs. From _Hank Williams_ to _Prince_ , Poe adored them all. He had collected a wide variety of music in his time. One record he enjoyed in particular, _Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill._ He wanted to keep awake to pack his things for heading out of town. But, perhaps more important to him, Finn was coming over to help.

He reached his arm up and pulled the record down to his chest. There were three fingerprints of dried blood on the cover. Likely from some graceless, drunken night.

Despite it, Poe smirked. He took the record from the sleeve and set the needle on the fourth song of the album. Within seconds, the song blared out, "NO SLEEP TIL..."

Poe smacked at his face, trying desperately to keep himself awake. He walked over to his refrigerator and grabbed a blood bag.

"Brooklyn!"

He walked to a cabinet and grabbed a small pot, filled it with water, then set it on the stovetop to boil.

The best way of preparing blood, he felt, was bringing water to a boiling 100° C, turning the stove off, then placing the blood bag in the pot to warm for a solid three minutes. That way when he drank the blood, it was an intoxicating warmth that you couldn't get anyway else.

He was bouncing his head to the music when the realization dawned on him. _Wait_.

His head bounce stopped, and he gazed up at nothing at all with a blank look on his face.

_That's for tea._

____________  _Meanwhile..._ ____________

Finn walked up to the fence to Poe's house, on the white wood was a nailed-on sign. "Beware of dog," Finn read aloud and laughed. Bebe currently looked more like a ball than some fearsome hound that the sign lead on.

Speak of the devil- Bebe came running up to the fence as fast as his little legs could take him. Bebe yapped at Finn, so happy that he looked ridiculous.

Finn let himself passed the gate and walked up to the scuffed orange door, knocking on it, he glanced around the rest of the yard. Poe had the white picket fence, but that was probably the nicest-looking thing in his yard (Apart from Bebe going looney toons every time he saw someone he liked.). Though he did keep his grass well trimmed, there wasn't much else to look at. It has a nice porch, Finn spoke to himself again.

Taking him from his thoughts, the door opened, seemingly by itself. Finn took a step inside the house anyhow. The lighting was awfully dim and he almost began to think that maybe the walls would start howling or something like that when Poe emerged from behind the door to greet him. He had a warm mug of blood in his hands and a few folded shirts in his other.

"Hey, buddy!" Poe tossed his clothes in an open suitcase and walked back to the kitchen, both Finn and Bebe followed behind.

Finn decided on stopping at the dining area and taking a seat. It was hard to ignore the music blasting behind him. Poe really seemed like a collector. Bookshelves were filled with records, CDs, tapes, and old iPods.

Finn stood and walked to the record player, watching the needle glide over the grooves. A smiled spread on his face before reading the spines. "Beatles fan?" He picked up a handful of Beatles CDs. He hasn't even heard The Beatles before, he still hasn't. He brushed his fingers along the album title, _Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band_. Quite the title, he though to himself.

Poe was reaching into his fridge to grab a soda for Finn when he looked back up to see him stopping Beastie Boys and putting the CD in the player, and his face lit up when he heard the tune play out. "Turn that up," he said with a smile.

  
Finn met his eyes and held the cover to Poe. "I've seen this guy before." He pointed to the picture of Paul McCartney.

Poe's eyes bounced from the cover to Finn with an eyebrow arched.

"Finn, if you're about to tell me that you've been hanging out with Paul in heaven, I'm gonna shake this up and run away, I swear." Poe handed the soda to him.

Finn's eyebrows furrowed. "I was talking about a time I walked past him on the streets when I was in England years ago," Finn explained, smiling.

Poe looked relieved to hear that. His face lost all strain.

"I was on that rooftop in 69'. Paul is just fine,"

"What are you talking about?"

"The conspiracy theory that Paul is dead. It started out as a joke, but people really thought Paul died- not just dead, but replaced too." It sounded more like a question when Poe said it.

Finn only grew more perturbed with the story. "That's not true." _I hope_ , Finn thought.

Poe scoffed as a wide smile grew on his face. "Oh, believe it, pal." Poe walked the corner of the room where there sat a cabinet. He opened it and grabbed the LP for the album and went back to his turntable. "You see those flowers on the cover? Look closely. They're in the shape of a bass guitar- Paul's, you might say."

He reversed the settings and stood back as it played out, " _Paul is dead."_  Poe messed with the settings again. _"Number 9, number 9..."_  Poe stopped the turntable and looked back at Finn with a crazed look in his eyes.

"Number 9... Mr. McCartney's date of death!" Poe mocked. "Tell that bullshit to the museum-goers, but not me. I was there in England just for their rooftop concert."

"You actually saw that?"

"Kiss the right asses- metaphorically or physically- and claw and bite and scratch, and you can see a lot in this world." He drank the blood out of his now lukewarm mug. Finn, and Poe, he was certain, forgot that it was even there in all the bravado. "I'm losing my train of thought. Where was I?"

"Paul McCartney's death, or more accurately, his being alive."

"Right. You see, it was all fun and games. Paul, John, Ringo, George- They're laughing and having a good time, when they start getting all these comments about Paul and holy-shit-is-he-real news articles. The Beatles thought it was hilarious. Hell, they fanned the flames. And let me tell you, the fans got worse with that shit. I must've seen..." His voice phased out. Poe looked off into the distance of nothing but his thoughts. He began counting on his fingers, until he quickly decided it didn't matter.

Poe gazed back at Finn and said, "A lot of news articles about that fucking conspiracy. Because why else would there be flowers in the shape of a bass guitar? Obviously, it's because Paul died in a car crash on the number 9, and they paid their respects by replacing him with a lookalike Paul McCartney who's still a devil on the bass." He pulled in a breath of air. "Hence, the bass-shaped flowers."

"Huh," was all Finn could mutter out.

"Mm-hm. I was at a concert of theirs before all that too. It was filled with mostly screaming women."

They were silent for a little while before Poe smiled, set his mug down, and grabbed a new album from the shelf. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, it read. Poe immediately played it. "This girl can really scream."  
________________________

  
"Werewolves," She read aloud.

Rey plucked the large leather book from the shelf and handed it behind her to Ben. He opened it and flipped to a random page, discussing the long-term effects of shifting when there's no full moon.

Rey leaned closer and read over his shoulder before saying, "Maybe you should probably stop doing that then." She said. "Flip to the table of contents."

Ben nodded, turning back to the beginning. A chunk of the book fell completely out of the spine when he did, pages scattering on the carpet.

They both stared blankly at the sight for a few seconds but then quickly turned their attention back to the book, silently agreeing that they'd get to that later.

  
The page read, **Intro • Characteristics • Abilities • Distinction between Lycan and Werewolf • Breeds** \- "Here." Ben pointed and turned to page 1,138.

  
They continued on reading for a while until they eventually found that his breed was a Forest-Runner, also known as Coureurs Forestiers.

  
"Did you want to head home?" Rey asked. That was all they really came here for and Rey knew how anxious Ben was about being in places he didn't know well. "We can go write," She offered.

  
Ben perked up at that, like a puppy hearing the word 'Treat', which made her smile. She grabbed the book from his hands when Luke shut his own book and looked at the pair.

"What's this about writing?" Luke asked.

"You remember how overactive my imagination was as a child?" Ben bent down to pick the papers up from the floor. "Well, while I have the imagination for writing, I rarely have the words vivid enough to do it justice. But Rey- Rey has them. She has all of those words sealed up. I talk to her and tell her what's needed, and she has it. All I have is 'jump', but she'd describe the air above and the fall down."

As he spoke Luke's brows furrowed as if he were confused. "I don't suppose you could try for art?"

"I don't suppose you could kiss my ass?"

Ben expected him to react harshly to that, but instead Luke only laughed. He wasn't used to that reaction from most people, certainly not from his own kin. He stood up again slowly, handing the papers to Rey.

When they left, Luke handed a small book and a short list to Rey. Ben noted the small sigh under her breath when she looked down at the list after Luke closed the door.

____________ _The next day, the funeral_  ____________

  
The all stood around Jessika's coffin, covered in nice black clothes. It seemed like everyone from school was there, and then some. There was Tasslin, her almost-boyfriend and Kay-del, her best friend since the day they met. Luke, who hardly knew her. Her parents, who stifled their sobs all day. The dozens of flowers, which had continuously built up so much that Poe thought it would grow its own personality like something out of Narnia.

Poe scanned the area. It was an outdoors ceremony, and his suit was beginning to feel stuffy and stiff. He was sure that his umbrella and sunglasses were offending someone, because 'Jeez Louise, where's your decency?' and 'This dim sky a little too much for you?" coming from Jess' parents was a bit of a tell. He shrugged them off and reminded himself that his car was nicer than theirs.

The ceremony wasn't as long as Rey expected. Afterwards, Kylo excused himself and gave his sympathies. He promised Rey that he'd see her in a minute.

Everybody was invited to see the body. Kay-del went first, walking down to the shrine and laying down a bouquet of white Gardenias. She looked down to the open casket. Jessika had on a purple silken gown. Her throat felt achingly tight.

She brushed her hand along the smooth wood, blank but reminiscent. Until she looked down to Jess' face- Her eyes were closed, arms resting across her chest- Kay-del felt her own heart sink. Everything was sinking in now. That was it. No more, no encore. She wouldn't hear her laugh again, long gone are the cheek kisses. She's gone.

She cleared her throat and rolled back her shoulders, like she was trying to brush away the sadness.

Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved a golden necklace. It perfectly resembled the one clasped around her own neck. She put the necklace on Jessika and then covered her mouth to suppress the whimper slipping out, and left.

Tasslin stalked to Pava next. His eyes were awfully red, he could feel it, along with the soft red ribbon looping around flowers in his hand. They were pink Carnations. Often they symbolized love and unforgettable experiences. (That's what the man he bought them from told him anyways.)

He gave the flowers to the shrine and quickly wiped his nose with the back of his hand as he stepped up close to her.

The people who worked on the bodies always did put that odd artificial smile on them. So even deader than a Dodo, they could look nice. He considered leaving her with some of her books or a favorite movie, but her parents insisted on keeping it clean.

Tasslin raked his hands through his hair. This was stressing him out quite a bit, and he internally kicked himself for wanting to cry so much- to just fall on his knees, mumbling her name.

God, he was stupid. He grinned to himself when he recalled a time when Jessika said that If he went first, she would heckle his funeral. She would've shouted, "Bring back Edgar Allan Poe once you escape wherever the hell it is you're going... maybe it's Hell.", or worried everyone by saying that it was a shite prank and that she can clearly see the hole in the coffin where he could easily slip out.

He laughed at the thought. And when he left, he sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.

Rey's turn. She dragged in a long breath and glanced down at her watch. _Poe, Rose, if this doesn't work..._  Jessika's shrine was close enough now that Rey could reach out to touch every petal if she wanted.

The flowers Rey had decided to gift to her, if she could keep them alive long enough, had in fact, died. She touched them up with a last minute glamour. Luckily for Rey, Jess loved her craft and would've given her a high five for pulling it off.

Rey only had fond memories of Jess and- _Damnit. Hurry up._  She stood in front of the body, fidgeting with her fingers. Glancing around frantically, she leaned in close to the body. Her skin had a slight pale tint. It was hardly noticeable with the cream they put on her- but there. "Okay, Jess. I am sorry for what I'm about to do. Though, You'd probably laugh your ass off because you were mental like that." She smirked before looking down at her watch again.

"My ride is running late. I'm sure people are wondering what I'm whispering to you or why I'm not weeping right now." Rey rested her head on her arm, smudging her dark makeup lightly.

"I cried a lot for you actually, if you must know. That's all okay though. I feel slightly better now. Something everyone forgets about all the tears they hold back is how much better we feel after. It's not always the case, but sometimes. Everyone goes on about how they don't have feelings, but I have a theory that it's complete shit and they're just hoping that one day it comes true. The depression can feel like you're banging your fist on a door waiting for someone to hear and free you because you can't see the key, and if you have to scream it out... scream. It's not your typical spilled milk. It's a frustrating room of nothingness or too-muchness and you need help finding the key when you need t-"

Two loud motorcycles came speeding by the site.

 _Finally_.

Everyone turned their heads and full attention to the two cyclists who were now doing side-by-side dounughts on the pavement. Jess' mother started storming over.

Now that no one was watching, Rey shoved her hand into her satchel, pulled out scissors and cut off an inch of Jessika's hair. Stuffing the short lock of hair and the pair of scissors into her pockets, she left.

As did the motorcycles.

________________________

Poe ran into her arms with a wide smile on his face. She wore a metallic blue jacket and still had her helmet on. He was so happy to see his friend again.

They hadn't had the chance to meet up lately, and he missed her more than even he realized. She pulled back and took off her motorcycle helmet, revealing her face. Dark eyes, rouged lips. "Paige," Poe beamed.

  
Paige smiled back at him and wrapped her arms around him once more as the second cyclist came to a halt beside them.  
"I knew those three improv classes I took would've eventually become useful," Poe laughed.

"I came up with most of this plan." Ben took off his helmet and parked the bike. They were in an area shaded under a large oak tree, and the breeze caused the leaves to sway gently.

Ben turned to see Rey walking over to them as she looked down at her dress with a folded napkin in her hand.

She picked her head up and smiled at them as she jogged over. She held the napkin up high. "It worked," she said as she unfolded the napkin, showing the lock of dark hair.  
________________________  
Rey leaned in close to Ben, pushing him against her cabin door. Standing up on her toes, she pulled on the collar of his suit as a smirked played on her lips. He leaned down and gently placed a kiss on her nose. She was laughing when Ben, without thinking, picked her up and held her against his chest. Rey instantly began peppering his face with kisses.

The keys to her door that she was supposed to be using were in her bag. Pulling back, Rey worked them out of her satchel bag and unlocked the door behind them.

Ben let her slip from his tight grip and set her on the hardwood floor. Where other houses had failed her, her little cabin in the woods won. It was small and cozy, with a working fireplace to keep it warm when need be. Granted, it was abandoned long ago and she was more or less squatting there.

Her 'Trespassers will be eaten' sign seemed to be working out for her just fine. Once, Rey had told him that she spoke with a ghost who went by Obi-Wan Kenobi who guided her through a spell.

Ben watched Rey as she walked over to her room where she started by setting Pava's lock of hair in the center of the floor and went about the rooom drawing markings with chalk around it.

From there, she continued conjuring and, using the book and list she borrowed from Luke, prepared her spell.

He didn't understand most of it, but did enjoy watching how it was done. "Rey," He spoke.

"Yeah?" She stopped reading and lifted her gaze to his.

"What is it that you're doing?"

She sat on the floor in front of her chalk marking and crossed her legs. "Well, I haven't done this yet and neither has Luke, so I don't know what'll happen beyond activating the spell. But, from what I gather, this will let me see the moments before the incident." She pointed to a paragraph in the book. "It says that it's only showing from the time they know that they'll die though."

Ben was nodding along, genuinely interested in what she was saying. "Is it safe?"

That took her by surprise. Rey somehow hadn't considered that. "It doesn't say that it's not,"

Rey could see Ben's jaw clench when she said that. She pushed her book aside and held out her hand to him. He stepped toward her and took her hand, lowering himself to a spot on the floor beside her.

Smiling at him before he rested his chin on her shoulder, Rey clapped her hands together as an eager smile danced on her lips. "Let's do it then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took me a little longer, so I made it a little longer to make up for it.
> 
> "The walls would start howling or something like that" was a nod to my favorite writer, Neil Gaiman and his story, The Wolves in the Walls.
> 
> Poe's orange door: the color psychology of orange there tends to lean for a more optimistic feel, which I thought was fitting for Poe.
> 
> Purple dress: I worked with more of her aura for this one. And purple was ideal because unlike violet, purple is just a blend of red (a passionate color) and blue (a more mellow color) Plus, it gives off a more mysterious vibe in my eyes, so maybe there's something up with Pava or maybe not. I guess we'll see. 
> 
> Blue jacket: This color is one of trust, responsibility, honesty and loyalty.
> 
> Red ribbon: you all already know that it's a passionate color.
> 
> If you have any questions about the fic I welcome them, so drop something in the comments. I promise you an answer back :)


	4. Out of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Away from reality, Rey tries to manage her way through a curious hallucinogenic spell, while Poe and Finn begin to head out of town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> •This took ages, sorry. This chapter was very difficult for me to write for some reason. It was originally about 15pages long, so I cut it into two chapters

It's so dark there. Though, she's still in her cabin- she can tell. But Ben is gone.

_All by your lonesome_ , as Poe would've put it.

She now realizes, she's sitting. She stands, looking at her near window out of curiosity. Everything is black, but she has that window. Yes, it's as deep and as dark as the space between stars. She is all that can be seen- like a spotlight set on her alone.

"Jess," Rey called out, but there's no response. Still she calls out again... And the void sparkles back, glimmering gold.

This time she hears something. A low moan and panting. She turns around and her eyes go wide open. Yet she can hardly see it.

Three figures, she thinks. Its like looking through an unsynchronised kaleidoscope. If she moves her eyes an inch, she has a different image. Even still, she confirms that there are three figures in the mad mix of skin, tongues, and fingers, pleasuring each other.

Rey turned away to get that scene out of her head. There's a tiny television set beyond the window. She clears her throat and decides to calm herself down with a joke- if that sight wasn't enough already.

"So, a blind man and his seeing eye dog walk into a bar..."

Rey grips the top of the windowsill and jumps upwards, getting her shoes outside of the pane. "The man lifts his dog above his head and does a full 360. The bartender sees this and becomes absolutely puzzled and asks, 'Sir what are you doing?'."

Rey ducked her head under the frame, "The blind man stops spinning and says-" she slips and falls clumsily out the window, just when she was about to hop to the ground. "Shit!" She expected the ground to be no more than three feet below her.

This was more like falling from a roof.

Rey put her arms out and suddenly stopped. The air was now stable enough to stand on. "He says, 'Oh, I'm just looking around.'."

She audibly snorts to herself, despite the intensity of her situation. Rey lifted her head up and saw that little T.V. ahead of her.

Rey shifts from her side and stands up. Suddenly, the screen flicked on, but all there was was static. This was _extremely_ loud, and she raced to turn it off so as to keep her hearing for a few more years. Just when Rey was at an arms reach away, it flickers again. She kneels down in front of the small screen.

It's a human heart- a fully functioning one at that. It pumps and pumps. And with each beat she could feel the sound waves like a base. They grew louder and they begin to speed up rapidly, pumping out its own blood.

It's too much. The sound is now completely engulfing her. Rey covers her eyes in pain. She pushes the POWER button, but it continues on. Jumping to her feet, she kicks the T.V. over and finally feels relief since being here.

There's a good chance, Rey realizes, that this was a mistake. She couldn't even find Jessika. She turns around to try and find a way out.

She's now face to face with a man. She's never seen him before. He could be anyone. Or anything. And Rey was scared. He could be an angel, like Finn.

No, she thinks, this was a demon.

"Who are you?" She asked. She was scared, but she'd give him a chance.

His words seemed split apart. "... No time. Anakin."

"Rey," She corrected him, setting on her mask of confidence.

"No, I'm Anakin."

"What are you doing here, Anakin?" She asked. Anakin was sickly pale and bald. He sounded like he was in a constant state of catching his breath. And he looked very sad.

"No time," He grabbed her shoulders, which caused her to instantly lose her mask. She squirmed out of his reach, dropped down, and kicked his legs out from underneath him.

Now on floor,- or solid air. Whatever it was- Anakin, looked up at her. "Sorry,"

Rey caught her breath. "It's okay. But don't do that." She knelt down.

The rest of the void began to grow brighter. It began to look more like a cloudy sky. Rey was turned away from him but she knew he was still there.

"Rey, you have to go find it,"

"Find what?"

"Find her he-" That same T.V. flicker sounded off once more, but with this flicker, the whole world turned on.

There off in distance, was Jessika. She was facing away from Rey. She was completely still, like she had been paused.

"What'd you..." She turned back and saw nothing where Anakin should've been. Rey spun around and ran to Jessika.

"Jess! Jesse!" Rey called out. Not surprisingly, Jessika couldn't hear her. Rey's face fell as she remembered what she came here to see.

She took a few more steps and the rest of the mirage focussed into view. And so it played out:

_He's inches from her face. They're practically breathing each other's air._

_Jessika screams as he pulls out a gun and places it in her own hand, covering it with prints._

_Her eyes are darting everywhere with her realization. Her heart drops like it weighs a ton. That warmth in chest bursts._

Rey can't see who it is. He's covered head to toe in layers. It looked completely neat. He even got a ski mask with black-out oversized sunglasses. While his clothes are neat, they're also not meant for something like this, and Rey could tell. She wagered that he grabbed everything from the back of a closet and went with it from there.

_His hand is still on the gun. It's on top of hers._

Rey inched closer to the scene. His hands are covered by gloves, so there's no chance of him coming up in a search for prints. His hands have also now put Jessika's on the trigger.

_Jess opens her mouth to speak his name, but he quickly stops her by placing a gloved hand over hers._

Rey was trying to jot down everything in a mental note. His face is unknown. He's taller than both herself and Pava. A somewhat half-assed sense of neatness...

_He backs her up to the wall previously behind them, revealing a cassette player. He brings it to her mouth and says, "Repeat after me."_.

Rey's too far away to hear his voice, but she could read lips. A little.

And so she began walking towards them. That insufferable static has turned on again. What has really caught her attention is this: How old was that gun?

It looked like a movie prop.

Rey glanced down at her shoes. That void was now turning green, like a pale sea of green. The static continues to grow louder.

_"It'll be okay,"_

_The gunshot rang throughout the area, echoing from end to end, and so, he sprinted._

Rey covered her eyes with her hands before she could bare witness. The static shuts off like a switch. She seemed to know exactly what to do after this. Slowly, she dipped her hand in the green, and just as fast as the switch, Rey wakes.

 

________________________

 

"Rose... holy shit." Poe barged into his room and strode to Rose. He gripped her shoulders tightly and gave a huge grin. "You're the best,"

Rose waved him off and rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh," She turned her head to hide a smile. She was sitting on his bed next to her sister as she cuddled up next to Bebe.

Poe spun around to catch himself in the mirror, looking at his brand new suit in all its glory. A black tie and suit, even paired with shining black shoes.

"What's the opposite of a fashion suicide?" Poe asked, looking at them in the mirror. For his trip out to Naboo, Rose decided to up the game. With DJ's help, both Poe and Finn were now-as far as anyone's concerned-licensed members of the FBI.

"Because I feel it." He straightened his tie and watched as they rolled their eyes.

Finn walked into the room then, and Poe's head turned within an instant. Poe knew he was given the same suit that he was, but was still stunned to see him wearing it. And, boy, was he  _really_ wearing the hell out of it, Poe thought.

Poe couldn't see, but both Rose and Paige turned to Poe when they saw Finn in the suit. Looking at him, Rose guessed that he'd start sweating soon enough. Paige stood and walked over for their backpack, reaching in and pulling out two fake I.D. badges.

Paige tossed them to Rose. Without thought or even a glance, Rose caught them and passed them out to Poe and Finn.

Paige waved a hand in front of Poe to snap him out of his daze. "Let's try to keep that to a minimum while you're out," She said.

Finn smirked to himself. Walking up to the mirror he caught the reflection of Rose giving him a quick thumbs up.

Finn turned to Poe, holding up his badge. "Ready to go?"

His smirk was answer enough.

 

________________________

 

Rey woke up coughing heavily, her shoulders rolling foreword. Sitting up from the floor rapidly, Rey covered her mouth with her hands. After a short moment, Rey began to calm down and Ben sat on the floor beside her and held her shoulders lightly but firmly.

Rey lifted her head and saw that she'd been out for a while. The lights were now turned on and the fireplace was going, casting a glow on their skin and long shadows everywhere.

She looked back at Ben, who looked at her questioningly and worried. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Rey reached up and pulled the band from her hair, letting it fall.

She then went on to tell him everything that happened and everything she saw.

"He told her that it will be okay?"

Rey just nodded, her eyes far off. She pushed her hands into her hair and gripped. Pulling her knees to her chest, she looked down and saw her necklace dangle slightly, then glow.

Behind them, Ben noticed the fire began to

_flicker_

flare brighter and the wind outside roared. Ben turned back to Rey, She kept her head down and was staring at her crystal necklace.

The walls around them started shaking, but before it could het much worse, Rey looked up and saw her mini fridge was quaking terribly. She placed her palms down flat on the floor, calming herself down.

Ben shifts on the floor to get a clear view of her face. He pushed her hair back from her face and dropped his head on her shoulder peacefully.

"Are you okay?" He asked again, this time she nodded.

The walls stopped quivering and the fire steadied, leaving behind a smokey smell. Rey leaned back and laid her back down, Ben followed suit. They stayed there for a bit, silent.

Rain started treading down, slowly at first, then pouring. Rainstorms were Rey's favorite kind of weather. Rey then gripped the collar of Ben's suit, smiled, and pressed her lips to his. She pulled herself on top of his body and sucked in his bottom lip.

Ben grabbed her breast through the fabric of her dress. He smiled slightly and sat up so Rey was now sitting on his lap.

He ran his hands down the sides of her hair. Rey then pulled back, drinking in his warm gaze.

"Take me out tonight," She said.

Ben laughed, his face scruching up. He abruptly threw his arms around her in a tight hug, which got Rey laughing.

"Definitely," Ben beamed. He held her chin up and kissed her gently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> •I know dream scenes are frowned upon because it's considered a lazy way to foreshadow something, and to a degree I agree. But, technically it's not a dream so it makes a bit more sense in this scenario.  
> •It probably doesn't seem like it, but there is, in fact, a method to the madness.  
> •I admit, it feels really weird to not use a lot of colors, but it helped me with the imagery of a film noir theme, which is going to be an arc of sorts.  
> If you have any questions about the fic I welcome them, so drop something in the comments. I promise you an answer back.


	5. Devil in a Blue Dress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You knew Pava, yeah?" Tallisan sat in the chair across from his.  
> "Jessika Pava? Yeah, I know her." He poured his glass with more wine and slid it to her.  
> "You know about what happened to her, didn't you?"  
> Silence from Armitage. He didn't know, but he now had suspicions.
> 
> Rey's necklace.  
> "That should help you control it," Rey was stepping onto a windowsill now. He looked at the bright blue crystal again, noticing how much light was gleaming through it.  
> Ben locked it around his neck.

Finn walked circles around Poe's car. _1968 Camaro..._  That repeated in his mind like he was in a drunk haze. Overhead, thunder muttered softly.

 

"I like this car," Finn smiled brightly at Poe, unable to contain his awe. It had a sleek black exterior with two orange stripes running across the sides.

 

"Uh-huh. I wanted to get a DeLorean, but..." Poe drifted off.

 

"A DeLorean, why?"

 

Poe hesitated briefly. "... A movie,"

 

Finn only laughed. He knew exactly what movie he was referring to. _Back to the Future._ The one with Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.

 

Finn stepped inside. Just then, Poe was stopped by a man. 

 

Holding a case filled with packs of blood, Poe tried to seem as level-headed as he could. (which, unknown to only him, wasn't a common behavioral state for him.)

 

"Taslin," Poe smiled.

 

"Poe, I know what you guys are up to."

 

Poe internally groaned and fumbled his case into the backseat of the car for a minute to dodge the statement as casually as possible. But, Taslin wouldn't quit that easily.

 

"Did you think I wouldn't find something like this out?" Taslin continued.

 

Poe faced him again, but his smile from seconds before had disappeared. "What, bud, you want us to drop this whole thing?" Poe asked.

 

"Let me help,"

 

Taslin's eyes were red and his clothes looked ragged. Poe could only pity him on sight.

 

"I... don't see how you could. I'm sorry." Poe shut the car door behind him. He was about to open the door to the driver's seat when he stopped and said, "Taslin, I think maybe you should go home and get sleep, eat, take care of yourself. You should talk out the whole," He struggled for the delicate phrase to put murder. "thing with Kay-Del. She's cool, she'll listen."

 

Taslin closed his eyes and scratched the back of his neck. "She's leaving. Gonna move out of town."

 

That grabbed his attention. He focused back on Taslin and narrowed his eyes. Something flashed across his face then, Taslin noticed. An idea, or fear- anger, perhaps.

 

"Kay's leaving, leaving town?" Poe asked him.

 

But Taslin didn't answer. He didn't need to. They both share a moment of silence.

 

Poe jerked back to reality suddenly, shaking his head quickly. Poe gripped the door handle and pulled it open, leaving that thought for later. "Hey, man, try not to be so in your feelings, yeah?" Poe pat his back and sat down in the car, eventually driving away.

 

 

________________________

 

 

Stepping out from the heavy rainfall and into the _Le Palais de Curtiz_ , Armitage was instantly hit with the sound of music being sung on the stage.

 

He plucked the cigarette from his lips and blew out the remaining puff of smoke from his lungs before setting it in the near ashtray.

 

Armitage often came to this restaurant after a daze work. He still wasn't legally old enough to smoke or drink. Though, he was tall and always had a fake I.D. on his person for the sake of it. 

 

The band was quite on their game tonight, he thought as he arranged to be seated. He admitted, he didn't understand a single word of it, but he enjoyed it. They were entirely french, with a pretty french woman and her lovely french words.

 

He was seated down in a little circle table close to the stage. Soon after, the waitress came over and took his order, though it was fairly unnecessary. He had the same order each time he came; a white wine, in large quantities.

 

When she came back, she slipped a note underneath his glass. Armitage wasn't completely unaccustomed to this. It would happen every now and again if someone he was working with was in the restaurant with him at the same time. Working- or "being trained" as something of a loan shark, he was used to it after a bit.

 

He wasn't, however, used to notes that simply said **Sit up straight, Hux.** in neat handwriting, signed by the owner. He furrowed his brows in confusion, but nonetheless did as instructed. Scanning the area, he saw he assumed the owner was.

 

She wore a night sky blue satin dress, which had a glittering shine in the light. She couldn't have been much older than he was. Her hair was blonde, her lips were a deep blood red, and She was walking straight towards him.

 

He fumbled to stand up to greet her, scooting his chair back a foot in the process.

 

"Hux, right? I don't believe we've met. Though I do recognize the hair." She held out her hand, smiling.

 

"How do you know my name?"

 

"Oh, I try to keep up with who comes into my restaurant," She said. "You frequently come here as well. A few of my employees have your order memorized. My name's Tallissan, by the way."

 

He knew this, only refrained from saying so. He couldn't help but envy her. She was just a few years older than he was, but she owned an entire restaurant. A fine one at that. How was that?

 

_Inherited, possibly._

 

She carried with her, certain confidence that no one else seemed to have.

 

A man could walk into this very restaurant, go up to anyone he wanted and _know_  he could have them. Whether it was as a friend, lover, or foe... He could have them in his grasp.

 

But he still wouldn't have the same type of confidence Tallissan had with those in her restaurant

 

Tallissan noticed his somewhat masked confusion and decided to get to the point. "You knew Pava, yeah?" Tallisan sat in the chair across from his.

 

"Jessika Pava? Yeah, I know her." He poured his glass with more wine and slid it to her.

 

"You know about what happened to her, didn't you?"

 

Silence from Armitage. He didn't know, but he now had suspicions.

 

"Oh shit. Hux, I'm sorry." Tallissan leaned in closer to him. "Jessika died, only a couple days ago," There were always small candles on the tables, a single flame sitting in the center. They both can't stop staring at it, refusing to make eye contact. That confidence she wore on her sleeve had disappeared.

 

Dazed, Armitage listened to the band's song again and could now easily recognize the tune as _Diamond's are a Girl's Best Friend_  in perfect french.

 

Tallissan knew who he was. Armitage Hux (And she thinks, maybe, there's something else there...), a loan shark (Those never go or end well), and above all, an asshole. She sure as hell won't lose any sleep for the little rich boy's feelings. But still, she did feel bad that she broke the news to him. She lived long enough to feel the pain of losing someone she cared for.

 

"I was just wanting to give my condolences,"

 

Tallissan reached for the glass and was about to down the wine between them like a shot when something occurred to her.

 

"How did you know her? A friend, or a..." She shrugged. "... client of yours?"

 

That grabbed his attention. He snapped his eyes up from the candle and looked back at her.

 

"My, my friend knew her," He stumbled over his own words. "I can hardly say I knew her."

 

Tallissan merely grunted in response. "I get it," She said.

 

"Why do you ask?"

 

She stood up and rounded the little table. "A friend of a friend," She smirked. "My friend, Poe-" Tallissan noticed that he appeared to recognize the name. "He knew her too. He's coming here soon, and I was curious, since we like to stay updated on things." Tallissan motioned a waiter over and swiped a couple shots of whiskey from his tray. She reached next to Armitage and picked up his glass of white wine, downing it within seconds.

 

Out of the entirety of this joint, Tallissan was pretty sure Hux was the only one who ever really ordered white wine.

 

She dumped the two whiskey shots in the same glass and patted his shoulder.

 

"See you around,"

 

She walked away then. Armitage drank quickly and after the recent news sunk in, he weighed his options, then left.

 

 

________________________

 

 

Within a few hours, Rey and Ben went out, ate dinner, and were now sitting on a bench in a nearby park. (If you could even call it that. It was more so a small grassy clearing that had a swing set, with buildings and buildings to the left of it all.) Any other time and Ben would've drove his motorcycle here, but he wasn't prepared to have Rey with him, and he had no second helmet.

 

That further meant, he had to ask his father for the keys to his truck. Ben had always regarded his dad's truck as nothing more than a piece of junk. Any vehicle that required pampering just to run was hopeless in Ben's eyes.

 

Rey tapped his shoulder, bringing him back from thoughts. "You're zoning out," She said.

 

Ben sat up straight, scratching his facial hair before locking eyes with Rey. "Why was my grandfather in your vision?" He asked abruptly.

 

Rey turned back to the scenery. She shuffled her shoes around the wet grass beneath her. She breathes in the scent, then turns back to Ben. His brown eyes already there to meet hers.

 

"He was a demon in my illusion, Ben." Rey gives Ben a look of sorrow, and rests her head on his shoulder. A moment passes by them and the swing set to their right sway gently. "What was he trying to say?"

 

"There are so many possibilities!" Ben jolts up. "Head, hands..." Ben lets his body go limp, his head falling on her lap. She looked down at the sight, her necklace dangling.

 

"Hell,"

 

"Heaven,"

 

"Hill." She shrugged. "Too many possibilities." She tugs on the silver chain around her neck. A drop of rain fell on her nose. A part inside Rey feels a sense of duty, vaguely aware that their group all have roles and fit wonderfully into their roles. Though they hardly try for it.

 

Rose and DJ: The tech, one could refer to them as such.

 

Poe and Finn: The group's spies. Working undercover, and lending a helping hand from the inside.

 

Paige: The tag-along teen.

 

Rey, herself and Ben: Rey felt she had yet to find out. Or if you she ever would.

 

"You want to see if we can find out?" Rey asks, her fingers tapping on the rusted, metallic arm rests. Her sense of duty was rising to the surface.

 

Ben furrowed his brows. "You're suggesting that?"

 

Rey's eyes go back to her feet. Drops of rain now scattered across them. And she realizes that they both had the same bad, morbid idea as she stood up from the damp bench. "Who would've guessed that you world become the darker minded one?"

 

Rey smiled briefly then began stretching her legs out. She walked to the nearest tall tree and clambered upwards to a close branch. 

 

Ben began to walk east towards Han's truck. The Falcon (That was the name Han gave it.) was parked all alone not too far from them, most likely covered in rain drops. Ben only made it a couple steps before he noticed that Rey was scaling up a nearby tree without a ton of effort.

 

"What are you doing?" Ben asked as she placed her foot on the next branch up.

 

"Heading to the Graveyard,"

 

"What about the Falcon?"

 

"We _could_  use that," Rey said. She turned her head to look at him with a glint of mischief in her eyes.

 

"You really want to run through D'qar?" Ben was walking around the tree now, smiling up at her.

 

"It's up to you." She steadied herself momentarily, then leapt to a light post, catching the cold metal pole in her hands.

 

Ben shook his head as he watched her pull her chest up and over, then raised her boots on the post. "I can't climb like that," He called out.

 

"Oh. Here." Rey stood up carefully, causing a sharp 'Easy' from Ben.

 

Ben was standing just below here, circling the light post when something, not much larger than a quarter, dropped on the grass in front of him. He squinted at it for a second before squatting down and picking it from the ground. Rey's necklace.

 

"That _should_  help you control it," Rey was stepping onto a windowsill now. He looked at the bright blue crystal again, noticing how much light was gleaming through it.

 

Ben locked it around his neck. Gymnasts use this trick before they preform- They picture themselves accomplishing their stunt before they execute it. That way, they can see it happen before it does. They'll know how it plays out.

 

Or so he's been told. Ben thinks about that before he does it himself. He pictures himself using only the strength of Kylo Ren.

 

He can feel his body spasms.

 

Ben tries to avoid thoughts of the pain he feels. The intense, burning, crushing pain.

 

"Ben," He could hear Rey call to him. His eyes are shut. "Don't let it get all of you."

 

Ben could also _hear_  his bones protruding slightly. He imagines that the shift stops then.

 

He knows of the almost fire-like yellow in his eyes. He knew that he was so much stronger than before. He knew his bones hurt.

 

_Don't let it get all of you._

 

It stops then, just as Ben imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> •Le Palais de Curtiz is a reference to the director of Casablanca, Michael Curtiz.  
> •Devil in a Blue Dress is a film noir starring Denzel Washington.  
> •Next chapter I'll be switching back to using colors for embedded symbolism again, just because I liked going all out. I stopped doing it for this arc for the Effect™, but it'll be back to the regular weirdness soon.  
> •Also, fun fact: You can thank (Or shame) Werewolf_Queen for the "Find her h-" bit. It was loosely based off a dream she kept obsessing over.  
> If you have any questions about the fic I welcome them, so drop something in the comments. I promise you an answer back. Thanks for reading!


	6. Dames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If there's one couple I know that would have *no* problem making out in a graveyard...
> 
> Grave digging! Confessions of love! By far the gayest chapter! When was the last time they slept?! Depressing Pava backstory! Did she just knock on the fourth wall, but not quite break it?! That thing in in old movies where a woman is grabbed my shoulders and thoroughly kissed, but this time more consensual cause they're ridden with lust! Victory!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been so busy. I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. A lot has happened with me though. Also, JustAnotherSailorScout has gotten me hooked on 'we could plant a house, we could build a tree', which is amazing and I highly recommend reading it. Thanks, Meg!

 

**Kay's Journal,**

**October** \- _What day was it?_  She let her pen rise from the paper, thinking for a moment until she decided it didn't matter. Kay-Del scanned the area. The old pickup truck that once belonged to her parents now sat parked outside of a small house.

Kay-Del's father was a movie producer and co-writer, while her mother was an actress (now retired) who often found herself working with him, ending up at the same parties, the same protests, and very boldly claiming that they were best friends despite only speaking every so often while drunk. Eventually, sober, he worked up the courage to ask her out.

On the previous page, Kay-Del had attempted and failed to write about Jessika yesterday. All that was on the page were large angry scribbles. Kay-Del had a habit of reading over the stories after she writes, and because of this she had ended up bursting into tears over her, taking a pen to the paper and crossing out every word.

**I don't know how to get into this, so I guess I'll just**

**Start.**

_"Censorship is a detriment to the creative process, Jesse." Shifting the gear, I parked the truck. "I'm a firm believer in that." My mom had told me this once. At the time, we went out to the premier of their movie,_ Shadow Figures. _During which, they threw their hands over my eyes enough times to ensure that I didn't have any idea what was going on._

_"I'm just saying," Jessika threw her hands up, laughing. "My dad didn't let me watch any of your folk's movies because they were all so explicit."_

_I reached my arms out to her and cupped her cheeks in my hands. "That's 'cause we're punk rock." Jesse rolled her eyes. Turning back and opening the door, we stepped onto the gravel. The area was filled with trees and shrubs and the sky was clear._

_Jessika had recently called me up and explained that she was under an immense amount of stress and needed to sort out her head. I suggested going on a little camping trip and offered to pay, but she asked if I could come with her altogether._

_The week before, Jesse turned 18 and went on a binge watching spree, and found that my parents worked exclusively in the horror genre._

_Jesse's father was some sort of envelope manufacturer, and he helped me, in that he annoyed me until I applied every time his company was hiring. That was a steady paying job, one that'd be sure to either rob you of your soul or chase you onto the nearest high horse just in time to bitch and groan about the new generation being unhappy and ungrateful for the economy you helped ruin._

_No, I wasn't interested there. That job could only keep me for so long. I have ambitions to chase_

_Jesse's mother was a part-time accountant at her local bank. She knew me as mostly her daughter's best friend, the spoiled girl with her own truck, and the girl who she caught kissing another girl at one of her parties. That incident happened a little over a month ago, but she wasn't too thrilled with it._

_"Hey, how did you convince your mom to let me hang out with you again?"_

_Jesse was walking to the trunk, but once I asked her, she stopped. She opened her mouth then shut it, pulling the cover off the trunk. "Jesse?"_

_I jogged to her as she continued getting the supplies from the back of the truck. "Are you sneaking off?" I whispered as if someone else could hear us._

_Jessika finally looked at me then and shrugged. "Could you help me set up the tent?"_

_"Sure, but you're going to get both our asses beat,"_

_She smiled, but her eyes were red. Jessika looked so tired, and I didn't have a clue as to why._

___________________________

_The tent wasn't all that large. It could fit three people at best._

_There was a patch of clearing untouched by rocks and bushes that would fit it well, so we started there. "So I take it your mom hasn't let it go?" I asked._

_She tossed a rolled up blanket at me to set in the tent, then placed her hands on her hips. She wore shorts that stopped mid-thigh and showed off her legs. I jerked my head away and forced my gaze back to the blanket._

_"She's cooled down. Now you're her gay friend she defends herself with when she says something homophobic. Y'know, 'Don't call me homophobic, I have gay friends.'?_

_Deadpan, I replied, "Oh, fun,"_

_Jessika had been planning on moving out- mostly dreaming about it- for a while now, she made an entire list of jobs that would pay better during summer break and the cheapest places in D'qar and away from her parents._

_"How is Taslin doing?" I asked. Everyone in school knew he wasn't doing so well. Lately, he had the habit of disappearing for hours on end._

_"He's fine." Jesse replied remarkably fast. She began fanning herself, pulling her white shirt up and down. "It's hot out here," She muttered._

_"Oh, he's fine, is he?"_

_"What's that supposed to mean?"_

_"Oh, come on now. Everyone, including you, knows he's had his eyes on you for quite some time now. I'm saying you," I pointed to her. "And the poetry-writing Scottish guy are bound for something eventually. You two are spending an odd amount of time together who knows where."_

_She blinked at me, but said nothing._

_" Oh,_ Oh, Taslin. Oh! Yes, yes!"

_She shoved me, biting her lip and blushing awkwardly. "Stop. For God's sake, Kay-Del. I thought we were going to the lake."_

 

________________________

 

Poe always wore sunglasses that were so tinted, you couldn't see his eyes even faintly. At the moment they were only a problem. The sky was gray and rain was now pouring. Finn offered to drive three times, but Poe refused each time, telling him that the sky would probably clear up soon anyway. This car was the most expensive item Poe owned. He's felt protective of it since he first set his eyes on it.

But at the moment, he had a problem.

Finn was deep in sleep, curled up with his coat over him like a blanket. Poe lifted his sunglasses carefully. Even with the windshield wipers going, the rain was coming down fast enough that they weren't of much help. Lights were just blurred for him. Poe found a spot to pull over and dropped his head on the wheel, groaning.

"Finn," Poe nudged him awake. "Your turn. I'm done."

Finn stretched for a moment, then got out in the rain to switch seats with Poe. The drive was long and cold, and neither were talking, while both were overly aware of the silence. Poe was staring out his window for a while, trying to distract himself and wondering what to say.

"So," Finn spoke up finally. "How'd you turn?" He asked.

Poe dragged in a breath of air. "So, does the Great Destroyer sign his name with a capital G?"

"Alright." Finn adjusted in the seat. He wasn't going to pry any further, but then Poe said, "It was a while back. I don't even remember exactly anymore. It's been that long. I..." Poe struggled over that 'I' for a second. "was with the girl we're meeting; Tallie."

"You were with her?" He paused. "Oh! You were _with_  her, with her! I got it."

"She was new to her abilities and I was interested in them enough not to mind when she bit into me," Poe admitted. The memory was actually still vivid in Poe's mind. Though he felt modest enough not to share details of being turned while having sex with someone around 700 B.C.

Poe set his arm on the rests and laid his head down. Before the dead silence could swallow his sanity whole, Poe said the first thing that popped into his head. "Real question this time; What do angels do?"

Finn considered this for a brief moment. "What?"

"Yeah. Is there a reason why you were sent down here specifically?" Poe asked. His eyes were closed and he was mumbling his speech.

Finn scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to say. "Right now it's keeping the peace between us and darker things," He was told that they were in trouble, and he was sure that this adventure of theirs was when it would happen. Finn watched the lining of small buildings and cars pass by. With how bleak the sky was, you could hardly determine the time without a clock. He was only sure that Poe was driving for hours. They should be at the hotel soon.

Stopping at a red light, Finn said, "I don't remember it all too well. I mean, basically, 'Kids are stupid and they'll do stupid shit 'cause they're spiteful assholes- Oh yeah, there's an older dude hanging out with them too. Protect them. They're gonna find out more than they like and bite off more than they can chew.'." Finn pulled over to a gas station on his right.

"And I _think_ that it meant this whole... mission. Come on, You're tracking down a murderer, trying to remain the gritty, hopeful heroes that you are despite what it's doing to you. That is not normal in the least. Rey and Ben- They haven't even graduated yet, and she's casting spells. This is complete bait for creatures that aren't quite as pleasant as I am."

Finn glanced back over to Poe, passed out cold. Finn snickered and parked the car by a gas pump before covering Poe up with his coat.

 

_________________________

 

  _As we walked down the trailway to the lake, Jesse's hand would brush slightly against mine, but would pull it back and scratch her arm or put her hair behind her ear within an instant afterwards. Normally, I wouldn't pay that action any mind, but neither would she._ Jesse, I know that I can't have you, but let us be friends like we always have been. Please, just let us have that. Let me have that _. Dragging in a breath, I walked ahead._

_The day Mrs. Pava caught me kissing another girl in a hallway, she ran away and individually told everyone else at her party, including Jessika._

Illeenium High had a councillor who'd sat at a desk near the front of a school and make calls all day while looking at a computer. Once- the first day of school- in the morning, a kid, Tyler, had decided to super glue his hands together. Eventually, some police officers came over and freed him. But, before then, Councillor Unamo would have to leave her desk to help.

Jessika happened to have been sitting around on the floor, cherishing the moments before class started when Principal Holdo pulled Mrs. Unamo away to help with the nearly crying kid with his hands stuck together at his desk, surrounded by more teens.

Upon hearing the sentence, "Tyler super glued his hands together." Unamo blinked, carefully dropped her pen, and tried to think. She had to force herself to think about the fact that someone grabbed a tube of glue, brought it to school, poured said glue on his hands, and was now rethinking his life, all before lunch.

She grabbed her purse and asked Jessika to sit by for a minute in case of any calls. Jesse shrugged and sat at the desk. It wasn't any surprise to her that the 'minute' became 25, but after 10, Jessika realized that she needed a bathroom.

So, Jessika sat at the desk in a chair that was too big for her, tapping her fingers on the smooth wood. At the 25 minute mark, three Police officers walked in and asked for an adult. Jessika merely responded by pointing down the hallway with a pen dangling from her mouth. As soon as they left, Jesse dropped her head on the keyboard and groaned.

She was thankfully interrupted when a girl with blonde hair and a camera rushed in through the doors and started jogging down the hallway towards class. "Wait, blondie," Jessika bolted up to her feet and climbed over the desk, stopping her mid tracks.

There was something quite ethereal and lively about the way she looked. She had a orange cardigan and her hair was up in two buns on her head. "Someone glued their hands together and whats-her-face had me stay here and I really have to pee. Can you stay here and answer the phone if it rings?"

The girl stared at Jessika with wide eyes, but then nodded with a slow-growing smirk. "Yeah, okay,"

"Thanks so much,"Jesse said and ran off.

When Jesse came back, the girl was spinning around in the chair lazily, looking through the lens of her camera, but stopped as soon as she saw Jessika in front of her. "Hey pretty lady,"

"Hi, blondie." Jessika sped over and jumped onto the desk.

"Oh, you missed it- that kid just went to the hospital with cops."

"Hoo Lord," Jesse said as she crossed her legs and sighed. When she was told that high school can change the way a person thinks, this wasn't in mind at all. Looking across the room to the clock hung above the entryway doors, she realized that class should've started almost half an hour ago now. Light was pouring in from the windows, warming the whole room.

She cleared her throat to grab Jesse's attention and hunched over the desk to show her a picture of the scene. A teenager was staring down at his hands- he glued all his fingers together, which looked somewhat less painful then both his hands- and looking very much lost in thought, which was fair given his poorly thought out situation. Three police officers were guiding him to the door. One of them was pressing his lips together in an attempt to hold back laughter.

Jessika wanted this picture framed.

"I've been here thirty minutes, and I hate it," The girl said, which brought Jesse's gaze away from the camera screen, meeting Blondie's again before breaking up in laughter, leaning into her own sides.

When Jesse looked up again, she could see that red was rising in the girl's cheeks. After pulling the bands from her hair and letting her hair loose, she stuck her hand out awkwardly. "I'm Kay-Del. Who are you?"

Jesse took her hand. "I'm Jessika,"

 

________________________

 

Rey realized about ten minutes after Ben strung the crystal around his neck and began climbing and jumping from building to building with her that this was more likely than not, a bad idea. The weather wasn't quite so terrible when they both started, then it was pouring. So, instead of bouncing off walls as they would prefer, they jogged with Rey's cape over their heads. Realizing somewhere along the line that they didn't have a shovel or rope, or any experience.

They climbed rooftops to find a Wal-Mart near and grabbed the tools necessary, which included an umbrella, two shovels, a backhoe, flashlights, gloves, rope, and a cover because of the downfall . At one point, Rey asked the cashier to hotspot her for ten minutes to google, "grave digging" and "cemetery caretaker stories".

Then they had to run all the way back to Jess's graveyard. With the pavement drenched and the street lights on, the combination had a reflective effect that gave the area a dim yellow glow. Rey stopped then when she heard her phone ringing from her bag. Rey grabbed a hold of Ben's arm to slow him down and answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, it's Rose," She replied. A voice in the background said, "And Paige." Rose spoke again. "Yeah, Paige is here too," Paige again, "As is the DJ."

On a 8ft tall metal gate were the words: HEDGE MAPLE CEMETERY. Ben walked up close and tried pressing it open. "Locked,"

"Give me a boost over?" Rey asked. There was a time when she would sneak out from her orphanage late at night, seeking out a lull from the breathtaking dissatisfaction. Often her roommate would lock the windows after Rey went out and fall back asleep. Given this, Rey had to find ways of picking locks to get back in without being caught.

Ben backed up until he was pressed against the thin bars of the gate, squatted down slightly, and clasped his hands together by his knees. "Alright. 1,2,3, jump."

"Rose, can you hold for a minute?" Rey rolled her shoulders foreword and stuck the phone into her faded satchel. Ben watched as she clapped her hands together, smiled, and ran, propelling herself to the top. Rey settled her feet on the railings and shifted so she was facing towards him.

"That's a tall gate, Rey. Careful with your landing." Ben grasped the bars as he looked up at Rey throwing her bag on the grass and setting her knees against the metal. She dug her shoes in and lunged back, rolling when she hit the ground.

She shot back to her feet and looked over to Ben as he extended his hand through the gate and grabbed her by the shoulders. Meeting him, Rey tugged on his collar and pulled his lips to hers. Rey didn't seem to mind the wet poles framing his face or the grim scenery, seeing as how she sinking into his touch. Ben pulled back then.

"You know," She smoothed her hands along his jaw. "I really like this suit."

"Remind me to wear my funeral piece more often," Ben quipped.

Rey stared at him, lost in thought. Her bitten lips held a red tint and her hazel eyes were marked with black as they darted around Ben's features. Rey's hair was wet and sticking to her face. Ben sighed. "Hey,"

Her eyes snapped back to his.

"I love you."

Rey froze. That was the first time those words were spoken between them. "I, uh-" She trailed off. There wasn't any sound around them, even Ben was holding his breath.

"I love you too. Yeah, I guess I love you too." Rey laughed, relieving her nerves, before blowing out a breath of air and smiling again.

 

________________________

 

_When we made it down to the lake, Jesse confessed she forgot her swimsuit. There was no one around, so I pulled off my shirt and shorts and sprinted out until the freezing water came to my shoulders._

_A nervous laugh slipped out when I saw her, then I choked on water. She discarded her shirt and tossed it on the ground without any shame. She proceeded to pace thoughtfully around the lake._

_"Just have to go for it, Jesse,"_

_She groaned before dunking her hand and swishing it about. "Yeah, that is_ cold _."_

_"Don't pussy out," I shouted and pointed a finger at her. She just waved me off._

_Walking to the dock, Jesse seemed to be considering whether or not she really wanted to join. She hesitated, then leapt. She reappeared instantly, sputtering out curses. I threw my head back in laughter. Her hair was tangled and plastered to her face._

_"Here." I pulled the knot from my hair and held out the band to her. Jessika took it and began pulling her hair down into a bun. Jesse had straight raven black hair. She looked at me and smiled. Her arms were lean and she was fairly taller than me._

_And she was becoming uncharacteristically red._

 

__________________________

_The fire later that night was much larger than we anticipated. Staring into the flickering ambers, birds stopped chirping and bats then ventured freely. Jesse had built up a rapid paced leg bounce up until she stood up, walked to the truck, turned on some music, and grabbed the bottle of wine._

_Jesse sat down in front of me, crossing her legs. A pair of plastic wine glasses in one hand and a bottle of cheap red wine in the other. There had been a smile on her face at least half the day, but it seemed the adrenaline rush died down now. The background music from the radio was muffled and quiet but audible enough._

_I held the cups as Jessika poured when a thought suddenly came to my mind. "Wait, wait. One second. I have something." I pushed the plastic back into Jesse's hands and reached into my pocket._

_Her eyes finally lit up again when she saw the chain of gold resting between my fingers and an engraved heart swaying between us. A woman's voice filled the area as Jesse struggled for words._

_She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. "Why would you do this?" She laughed nervously, but it didn't last long before she focused on the ground and nothing else. I shrugged._

_"You're my best friend and I love you," It made her frown. The question took me off guard, but Jessika looked afraid. She grabbed the wine and downed it._

_"What's wrong, Jessika?" I asked, trying to meet her gaze. She pulled her knees to her chest, borrowing her head in her arms. "What is the matter?" My voice raised and grew fearful._

_"I can't-" Her voice broke and all at once, she stopped- void, dug her hands in her hair and whispered, "What's wrong with me?"_

_The air shifted from bad to worse when she stopped sulking and started laughing, doing nothing but terrifying me and stopping my breath. "I'll have that present now, please," She said before standing, her knees were scuffed and dirty, evidence of the fun we had when the sun was out and my heart wasn't pounding with fear._

_Still resting on my knees, I held the locket up to her. She took it and clasped it around her neck. "Can you stand up? I don't like hugging people while sitting," She joked, admiring the picture of us in the locket._

_"Bring it in," I said, thrusting myself off the dirt. I could feel my face soften then. Jesse was to me what metaphors are to writers; Nice and carting around the feeling of awe, but also provides the fear of potentially messing things up._

(Too on the nose?)

_The second I stood up she swung her arms around and held on tight, causing a quiet 'oof' from me._

"Don't they know, it's the end of the world? It ended when you said goodbye."  _The song echoed, which was the only noise to drown out Jesse's whimpering._

_"I have felt more love today than I ever have in years," Her shoulders shook. "Probably ever will,"_

_Still pressed close to her neck, I said, "I thought you liked Taslin."_

_She dropped her head, leaning against my head. "I used to," and she cried harder. Putting in the same amount of strength one would use to throw up. With wet cheeks, she stared at me, lost._

_Her breathing hitched and her head tilted slightly. I was overwhelmed with the feelings I suppressed in all my time of knowing her._

_My lips brushed against hers. Jesse, closing her eyes, stepped closer and pressed her lips to mine. Her body was still shaking._

_Jesse wasn't one to go against her parents about anything, nothing too big anyway. She claimed her parents would disown her if they knew she didn't follow their religion. She never spoke foul of them, though. She was a perfect daughter by all means._

_She pulled back, wiping her face. "Jesse, I fucking love you. Could you go to the dance with me?"_

_Jesse smiled and nodded._

_"Then... it's a date." I sighed happily, holding her hands as we swayed to the fuzzy melody._

________________________

 

It's nearly 8:00 in the morning now.

Ben was standing in Jesse's grave while, behind him, Rey was on her knees, swiping away mud from the sleek dark wood. She smacked his legs, grabbing hold of his attention. She pointed to where the crevice on the casket would be, and he dropped to his knees, gloved hands digging around the sides. "This better not be for nothing, " Ben grumbled uner his breath and Rey laughed.

"If it makes you feel better, you look very cute with your face dirtied like this," Rey teased, beaming at him when his only response was to stop, blink, and push his muddy glove onto the side of her dress as he pressed his lips together to keep from laughing.

"Oy! This is my only dress,"

"This is my only suit!"

The smile on his face dissipated when his fingers hit a crevice. Rey noticed this and grabbed the rope she tied to an overhead tree to the right of the hole they dug, pulling herself out.

Once Rey was out, Ben backed up on the lower half of the casket. The hole they dug was intentionally larger for the sake of opening the cap, so there wasn't a problem there. What was a problem was that there's nothing on her head. There's nothing on her hands. Aside from the lock Rey took, there's nothing wrong with her hair. "Ah, hell..." Ben breathed.

"What's that?" Rey was hunched over the edge, watching him.

Hell; At the moment, that's the only other thing he can think of that begins with-

He glanced down to her neck. That shining gold locket around her neck. It's shaped in a

Heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> •Kay-Del's orange cardigan: the color psychology of orange tends to lean for a more uplifting feel. And Kay was a shoulder to cry on and helped Pava all she could.  
> •That's a wrap on the film noir-ish arc.  
> •'Dames' is an old film noir.  
> •'Shadow Figures' is a reference to an old horror play called 'Lonely Birds and Shadow Figures'. I can't find much on it, so I figured that it'd be mysterious enough to work for my theme.  
> •I have no idea who the fuck Tyler is. That was random as hell.  
> •So, how we feeling about the new info on Pava and Kay-Del?


	7. Let's Spend the Night Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we see the effects of sleep deprivation! honestly very self indulgent fluff!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain was pretty unproductive while writing this. No matter how long I sat in front of a notepad and pencil, and tried to conjure it up even with the chapter outlined. Getting it sorted was a mess. Thank you for waiting. Hope you enjoy it!

"Find her _heart_  ," Rey said, smacking at Ben's arm repeatedly. Ben looked down at her, but said nothing. The entirety of his suit of covered in soil and Rey had patches of mud on her dress, but neither could be bothered when it's as early as this.

Ben opened up the locket and to neither Rey nor Ben's surprise, found a small photo of Jessika and Kay-del. "I really should've guessed that. Why are we supposed to find her heart?"

"Could be that your ghost is lying." He shut the cap again. His eyes were red and he looked like he was reeling back the urge to drop his head anywhere and go to sleep. Rey wouldn't have questioned it if he did. She would've slipped down in the grave with him and rested her head on his leg as a pillow.

"I'll think about it more when I get to sl-" Rey paused. Ben looked up at her. Rey picked up her bag and desperately searched for something.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked. Rey pulled out a piece of paper, reading it for a minute before setting her eyes back to Ben.

"School starts again today,"

Ben quickly mouthed 'Shit' and grabbed for the rope behind him. Rey stood where she was, trying to process anything while this tired. Her eyelids were heavy and when her eyes moved a little too quickly, things got blurry.

Ben read his watch and with quick calculation said, "We have a least two-and-a-half hours to get this covered." Rey picked the shovel up off the grass and with the two of them, it was still a three-hour job.

Rey kept guard at the fence as Ben shoveled dirt tirelessly. Werewolves have packed in energy, Ben had once told her. Rey waved it off as bullshit, and as it turns out, she was right. Ben looked easily as sleep deprived as she did.

But with the Kyber crystal, he could at least say that his focus was much more refined. "I'm not seeing anyone. You know, at all." Rey lounged by the corner, watching for danger while practicing a spell that could slow down a heartbeat. Though she decided to hold off until she could find the time when she wasn't abstaining from sleep.

"The whole community isn't going to forget they have dead people." Ben was now flattening down soil to make the freshly re-dug grave look untouched. The only rush that kept them up to date was the fear of people's vex with them.

Sitting on the ground, Rey watched the clouds morph and spread out until they covered up the sun.

 

____________ _2 Years Ago; When a boy went missing..._ ____________

 

_It had been a week of trying to settle in D'Qar when she happened to get in a fight with a werewolf (thinking back on it it hadn't meant real harm to her, but it was nonetheless a problem), managed to place a scar on the side of its face. A day later for a boy named Ben Solo--the senator's kid--to be reported missing. A half-hour later to decide she wanted to help find him on her way home when she caught a glimpse of a tall boy, much taller than her, sinking into shadows, shifting from wolf back to his human form. But with the slightest glance up, he saw her standing before him. His eyes went wide and his head popped up considerably as his jaw went slack. "You almost crushed my hemlock." She swallowed._

_"Ah..." Ben said, a bit too dreamy. A bit too in his own thoughts. His dark hair, a defined contrast to pale skin._

_Rey crouched down in front of the Belladonna and began cutting them above the roots. Out from the corner, Rey noticed him give her a once over, then let his eyes fall on her satchel._

_The bag jolted slightly, ben thought he could smell a dog. "What's that in the bag?"_

_Rey turned her head to look at him. There was a slight smile playing on his lips. A bit odd since the pain from shifting lasted for a long while afterward. She returned the smile and opened the top fold of cloth, revealing an incredibly small orange-spotted dog. Still a puppy, actually, and with more fur than there was dog._

_"In the morning he's gone. He belongs to the vampire." With a slim, short leafy branch in one hand, Rey moved to stand up, when she was offered his hand. There was dirt under his nails and his arms were still sore, but she took it without hesitation._

_Rey was quick to realize the action and pull her hand back to the bag strap. "So" She said, clearing her throat nervously. "You're Kylo Ren?"_

_He turned, scanning the area. "You're new in D'Qar, huh?"_

_"Mmhm." She hummed, heading in the direction of her cottage, checking back every so often to make sure he was still there._

_"Where do you come from?" He asked._

_"Doesn't matter," Rey dismissed him. The soil flattened under her shoes with each step before pivoting to the left when she saw a familiar tree. "And where have you been?" She asked, lifting a low-hanging tree branch over her head. She made an attempt to lift it over his as well, but he was tall enough that he had to duck his head under anyway. This caused her to laugh once more, and he decided he would have crawled under it again if it meant hearing her laugh at him like she had._

_"_ Some place of great importance _," He quipped. Glancing back, Rey watched his mouth quirk up in a dopey smile with a look at her. "A spot a south from here. It doesn't matter, really."_

_"Well, we're both here now." She began making her way past a tree line, and behind it, hidden, was a petite cabin. This was where Rey conjured and lived. All that she required. Ben found himself becoming more and more curious about her._

_Rey opened her satchel and picked the dog out. "It might not look like a whole lot, but I certainly like it." The dog bolted across the ground to the front door the second his feet touched the dirt._

_"Do you grow everything out here?"_

_"I would very much like to,"_

_"And why aren't you?"_

_"Among other things like, I just got here a week ago, and I've been busy scavenging for scraps," She turned the knob and the door opened with a delicate_ creak _. "The earth is too dry here to grow most things."_

_"I have a garden," He blurted out, unsure why he did. "You could- If you would like. You could use it."_

And will that be before or after you see your parents again?

Idiot...

_He scratched at the stubble on his jaw and tried not to make eye contact while stepping into the cottage._

_It was visible that he was internally kicking himself for speaking at all._

_Rey jogged ahead of him, abruptly planting herself in his tracks. The distance between them, or the lack-there-of, caused him to duck his chin downward. Sauntering close, closer than either probably anticipated, Rey held up her hand and an amused smile spread on her lips._

_One amused, comfortable, and incredibly sweet smile from her to him--for him--was what it took to send him on cloud nine. "I would like that," The words left her lips._

_His legs are sponges, soaking in the muscle aches. But the glitter of her eyes is a pocket watch, entrancing him. A bind in zero-gravity._

_To keep from getting lost, his eyes darted around her face as he raised his hand to hers. Is it normal to see spots, to feel dizzy?_

_Unblinking, Rey absorbed the picture in front of her through overwhelmed eyes. What she was experiencing was foreign to her. Maybe half a foot closer and their lips would touch._

_"Huh," She quirked her lips upward. "You have ambers in your eyes."_

_He would've liked to have felt that the pain was now distant and unremarkable, but saying so would be far from truthful. His head was spinning and he was altogether weightless before saying 'Shit' in a flat, hoarse voice. He saw a now concerned expression fade away-- Oh. And the very same leaning over him when he woke up on floor._

_"Hey,"_

_Ben blinked at her. Her? What is her name? She hasn't said._ She... _"Hey," She said, louder this time to jolt him back to the present. "You passed out. Just for a second." Ben felt that her arm was stuck under his back._

_Going down, Rey tried to catch him, though the act had only sent her crashing down on her side. There wasn't any lasting pain, really, but she thinks that if he's on her for much longer then her arm would soon go numb._

_He scurried to his knees, meeting that same light, warm sensation in his head. Rey took note of this and rushed to grab the crook of his arm, helping him up to his bare feet. "Easy," She spoke slowly, smiling up at him again. "You need to rest. I have a bed." Rey turned them around and headed towards the bedroom door._

_"What's your name?" He found himself asking. How could they have gotten so far without him even knowing?_

_You try standing shirtless in front of a girl who, last time you saw, gave you a scar running down the side of your face, and whose person you can properly see without being distorted through the eyes of an idiotic monster-- and try to remember a decent introduction. As decent as you could be._

_She pushed the door open._

_Inside laid piles of blankets scattered on top of a single mattress. "Hey, so," Her hand was clutching onto his side to prop him up. That was possibly more painful than what he felt after waking up flat on his back. "What do I call you?" She asked. She positioned his large frame center in front of the bed. "Kylo, Ben, or Ren?"_

_He scoffed and let himself plunk down on the blankets. "I guessed that you would have called me Ben whether I hated it or not,"_

_"Yeah. I would have." She nodded before dropping the satchel by a pillow._

_"But_ what _do I call you?" Ben laid out across the bed, keeping his head turned to look at her._

_As she crossed her legs beside the mattress, she said, "I'm Rey."_

_Fighting back the urge to smile, Ben ran an impatient hand through his hair._

_Rey's fidgeting with her hands, not minding the silence between them. Bebe's off somewhere outside terrorizing some birds, feeling like a pigeon could be a brand new friend. He's got it facing him head-on._

_Those embers scattered throughout Ben's eyes are very much ever present. once you get to see them, you can't stop. (Don't think that Rey's not aware.) Rey is watching and taking him in with goofy amusement._

_His hand is still resting in his hair and there is undeniably a ridiculous look on his face. He knew it- He felt it. And somehow, seeing her nose crinkle up when she grinned at him, he could finally breathe. That look is still on his face, however._

 

________________________

 

Rey jerked her head to the left when her eyes caught onto an older woman walking their way. She was dressed in a large, distinguished white suit.

If her mind could have been a well rested one, Rey wouldn't have tripped over her feet while rushing to Ben. If she had a well rested mind, she would have seen the holy bible in the woman's hand when the woman kindly waved to her. If she were well rested, her words wouldn't have slurred together, telling Ben that someone was coming and that they need to get out. And if either of them took a moment to think, they would have remembered that this particular graveyard opened an hour later on Wednesdays and Sundays for church.

However, their minds were not.

Grabbing their tools and what little energy they had within them, Ben and Rey bolted down the street as fast as their legs could carry them.

It took them a cab and calling Rose for help picking up the Falcon, but they managed to make it back to Rey's cabin.

Ben knew he would soon explain the matter of the car and his disappearance to his parents (Or at least one of them) in the morning. He would mostly likely be banned from the Falcon, but with Rey chuckling to herself about seemingly nothing as she rested in his arms, trying--and failing--to explain why she was laughing, he couldn't be bothered.

Instead, he looked at her with a mock glare. It made Rey laugh more.

She looked around at the scenery as Ben struggled to open the door with his one hardly free hand, hoping that clouds would grow and glide over toward the blossoming sun, just so that she and Ben could rest longer. Of course it didn't, and Rey couldn't couldn't currently build up the strength it would take to help change that.

Warmth surrounded the two as they walked into the cot. The many trinkets and beaten wind chimes that Rey had found, scavenged and hung from the ceiling charmingly over the years swayed and rung, announcing their arrival.

Rey nodded her head toward the direction of her room while shrugging her satchel off her arm and onto the floor. There wasn't much in her room, they both knew this, except a matress, bookshelves, and an old-fashioned cauldron in the corner that she rarely used.

Ben was breathing out a sigh of relief when his phone suddenly began ringing, causing his sigh to become an excessive groan. Rey dropped herself onto the mattress as Ben grabbed his phone from his pocket.

"Yes, Poe?" He asked, putting more bite than necessarily intended.

"Ben, I know it's way too early for h-"

"It is, indeed." He followed suit with Rey, lounging on the blankets.

Poe continued. "But, Rey wouldn't pick up her phone and I need advice... it's about Finn."

Ben sunk into the pillows on Rey bed beside her, realizing that he was looking for dating advice.

Poe, of all people. "The hell- No."

 

________________________

 

Poe shifted his weight onto to the landline, pressing his ear against the plastic phone as he listened to an already low voice become quieter.

"The hell- No. We're sleeping." Ben paused, trying to hang up, but spoke even still. "And why the hell would you ask _me_?"

"Oh, you're not my first call. But besides, you're with Rey. If anything, that shows that you can get anyone."

A pause again. Poe figured he was suppressing the urge to crush his phone. 

Poe decided to continue. Desperate times, after all. "Did you know your grandmother and mother were crowned prom queen?" Poe wanted to kick himself. It was certainly an odd way of grabbing attention.

He then faintly heard Rey's laughter, followed by her asking ' _What's wrong with him?'_ with an unquestionable smile. There was another laugh that neither Finn nor Poe heard often: Ben's.

 

________________________

 

Rey gestured for the phone. Glad to throw it away, Ben tossed it to her. Although, now he was skeptical about the grin on Rey's face. That grin only grew as she spoke. "Yeah. That- that's why he's so princely and magical."

Ben snickered before yawning. He decision to give her the phone was almost immediately redacted. Still smiling and watching Rey laugh, he made a reach for his phone, but she instantly leaned back.

 

________________________

 

The call mostly nonsensical laughter at that point.

"He's like a... tall, gothic-"

"That's enough," He heard Ben say. More laughter.

"A gothic prince," There was fumbling noises, Poe wagered that Ben was grabbing his phone. "All because he's direct descent from royalty."

 

________________________

 

The sky was clear and birds were chirping, and he was made the decision that he was absolutely being absent from school today. He had his phone back, but his head was still thrown back, laughing.

"Okay... okay." Ben said. "When I first met you I thought you and Finn were already dating, until I realized you were sleeping with half the town,"

"Mhm," Poe responed.

"So, I figure you'll most likely just fall into a relationship eventually." He turned onto his stomach so his chin resting on some pillows.

"Just _try_  to help me out here," Poe pleaded. Ben groaned, sinking his face into the white fabric.

"Alright. Walk me through what's going on. And quickly."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> • I had no idea the love at first sight trope would be so difficult to TRY to pull off. I mean, every trope comes with difficulties but I was not anticipating it to be worse than writing multiple chapters of a slow burn. For me, at least. But hey, I tried and it was a learning experience for me. I'm glad I did.  
> • If you have any questions about the fic I welcome them, so drop something in the comments. I promise you an answer back. Thanks for reading!


	8. Between the red Autumn Trees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Ben continue their conversation, and Ben discovers something new to know about Jessika Pava, then we catch a slight peek into a strained mother/son relationship. See a very drunk vampire(who's very in love!), and (most important) watch Ben and Rey be very much in love and adorable and see how much your (or they're) heart(s) can take it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to @MythologicalHoe, for being so kind and supportive of this fic (and patient). And she maDE THIS MEME POWERPOINT. SHE'S SUCH AN ICON im cri: https://majestic-barn-owl-02.tumblr.com/post/178716563795/majestic-barn-owl-02-ay-sorry-this-was-late-my  
> • anyway I hope you enjoy!

"All right, all right," Poe grumbled, rubbing his free hand on his face. "And you'll survive this?"

"Talk fast and we might find out." Ben turned over and threw the comforter to the side next to Rey. He looked over at her and smiled to himself. Rey laid with her arm tucked by her head, snoring quietly. She hadn't remembered to let her hair down before hopping in her bed and passing out, so stray locks of hair had fallen from the ties and ran down her neck and face. "And Rey's out cold now, meaning you're my only company." Poe laughed.

Most likely due to lack of sleep, Ben decided to talk much more freely than usual. Ben and Poe didn't interact often if Rey wasn't around. The friendliest they'd gotten was buying weed off Poe a few times.

"It's not been more than five minutes,"

"Yeah, she does that. It'd be weirder if it wasn't so impressive,"

"Oh, you want to know about 'weird'?" Poe sat up in his seat, suddenly remembering that he should be talking about his situation.

"Not really," Ben said. "But if it means you'll get on with it..."

"Good, because I don't have _anything,_ " Poe knew that this was ridiculous, and it didn't help that he was rambling to Ben. Nevertheless, he would worry about it.

"I don't get it,"

"So," He cleared his throat, lounged his seat back, and let the words run out. "When I first agreed to come here, it was because I know someone out here. Her name's Tallie. She's great. It's great. Eventually I mention the case and Pava. You know about that time when the U.S. banned alcohol?"

"I know of it,"

" _Christ_ , that's such a shitty, fuzzy memory. Well, this joint had built a back room made specifically for bootleg."

"Why is this important?"

"Oh right. Before letting me talk too much-"

"Like you do,"

"Like I do. She brought us back to that room. It's still hidden, so it's more or less a secret V.I.P. lounge. Tallie says that before we got here, there was a pissy red-headed guy who comes in here regularly. Hux. She said something about, he's the only one drinking white wine or some shit like that."

Ben didn't seem surprised. Mostly, he was amazed at how smashed Poe sounded. "Can your kind even get drunk?"

"At least one can," Poe answered, laughing much too hard at his own joke. It took him a moment before he remembered that there was a point to this call. "So, Tallie tells us that he'd been going on his own as a loan shark. She asks him, 'How did you know Jessika?' You know what he says? Do you know what he says? Hux says, 'Friend of a friend'..." Poe leaned back into the leather, more confident than ever. "And was that not the most suspicious fucking thing he could reply with?" Poe knew how he must've sounded, but that nagging voice was easy to ignore.

Ben's only reply was a gruff hum followed by a deep breath. "So Jessika knows someone who knows Armitage," He only wished that gave them something to go on. Jessika practically knew half the school. "You'd have to be in trouble if he recognized your name." That, at least, was something he could ponder on.

"Yeah, we're getting somewhere without even trying," Poe supplied, staying positive as he sent a _thank you_  heavenward just for knowing Tallie. "We're going to try to catch up with Armitage tomorrow." He rubbed his temples, like he could already imagine the hangover he'd be stuck with in the morning.

"Good luck. Hux was with Snoke more than anyone." During the conversation, Ben decided to stop trying for sleep, which he knew would be regrettable. He stood up to go make a bowl of cereal. "So what else happened?"

Poe groaned. "Tallie wouldn't stop throwing Finn and I at each other. The night's over now but, _shit_..." He trailed off. It was then that Ben began taking in spoonfuls of his breakfast, fully aware of how irritating the sound would be over the phone.

"And..?" Ben fished for more, but the line stayed silent. "Just hold his hand and ask him to prom. I don't know."

 

_________________________

 

Hours had passed. Most of the day gone by. Before getting yelled at by his mother, and feeling cowardice and guilt run deep into his bones--sinking in and poisoning--Ben and Rey had managed to make it to school for the last half-hour.

Leia was rightfully worried. And angry. But what could he tell her?

_Sorry. I was very busy digging up the grave of a girl whose death we've very strangely fixated on. Yeah, doesn't quite cut it._

Ben scoffed to himself. When thought about it for too long, their situation felt more and more fucked up and ridiculous. Yet, they hadn't even scratched the surface. So when Leia had gone to sleep, Ben grabbed the landline and plunked onto his bed.

The line rung for a while. "Hello?"

"It's Ben," He spoke, void, into the phone.

"Oh! I didn't recognize the number." Rey's voice was, as always, kind and warm. She simply _felt_  like light. Ben found himself able to relax and sink his head into his pillows.

"Yeah, my phone's gone,"

"Sorry," She said.

"Don't be. I was the one that got rid of it." Ben threw a blanket over himself. 

She didn't seem all that surprised. Not that he expected she would be. They knew each other well enough by now that most peculiarities didn't sway them much. Ben was glad for it too. "Oh... why?"

"She decided that deeming my own punishment would have a better payoff. And I feel like an asshole, so..." He trailed off. He didn't actually mind giving away his phone. He kept wanting to throw more and more favorite things away. Ben used to work so hard at distancing himself from Leia. He hasn't stopped feeling guilty since he told her a couple years worth of information about his life.

Ben could practically feel that anxious head bob Rey did. He didn't even need her in sight to know. "Well, I feel awful. I love your mom and she probably hates me now,"

Ben let out a puff of laughter. "Actually," He shifted to his side. He could see Rey perk up. "After I talked to her about everything, she linked you to my 'behavioral shift', and now she adores you."

"Woah- Wait, really?" She asked, sounding absolutely puzzled. Her voice raised a pitch, and he couldn't help the quirk of lips. They did this fairly often. At night, when Rey couldn't sleep, she'd call Ben, and he'd entertain her from there. "All right, so I've peaked!" She laughed as Ben scoffed.

"You're ridiculous." He rolled his eyes, and she responded with a hum.

"So, sneaking over like we planned would have been bad business," She mused. Ben could see her staring up at the stars, walking slowly and waiting on his responses. They snuck out a lot too. Ben, mostly.

"Tch, yeah," Ben was about to check his alarm clock for the time when he suddenly heard, _tap, tap, tap_  on his window.

Shutting his eyes, Ben exaggerated a groan that managed to get a giggle out of her before whispering a quick apology. He had to remind himself to keep quiet too, so he didn't wake his mom. Wouldn't do him any good for her come in and take his _real_  favorite away. 

Despite what he had told her, when he pulled back the curtains to find Rey sitting on the roofing in front of his window, he felt a warm, passionate kind of happy take hold of him. And the change of mood was very much welcome.

Rey still spoke into the phone. "I did bring you a pumpkin though. I feel like that more than makes up for this." She held up the large round squash and adjusted so it sat on her lap.

Hanging up the phone, Ben undid the latch to the window and pushed up on the panes. Carefully stepping onto the roofing, Ben watched Rey. She hadn't brought her dirty cloak for once, rather, she sat relaxed in loose-fitting clothes. Bright eyes looked into his and she smiled. 

_Fucking gorgeous..._

She seemed completely delighted and said, "You shaved."

He rolled his eyes and, feeling his face flush, moved to take a spot on the slanted shingles by Rey. She wasted no time to bring her hands up to cradle his face. Ben knew she was reeling back the urge to tease him by gushing over him _to_ him, maybe let out an ' _aw_ '. At this point, he didn't second guess it.

He almost snorted at the way she smiled to herself, wistfully. Though, her palms were so soft and warm that all he could do was lean into her. It had been years since he'd last hung out on the roof. Now, he couldn't think of a reason why he wasn't out here every night. He should do that more, he decided. They should do it more.

"Oh!" Rey blurt out suddenly, removing her hands from his jawline.

"Oh?"

"Poe," She answered.

"Poe," Ben grimaced. He kept a hold by her elbows, not quite willing to give up the warmth. "Poe wanted something real with Finn, and he doesn't know how he could pursue it. Long story short." He rested his back on the outside wall. This was nice. The house was so quiet that it felt like they had it all to themselves, talking with Rey about something damn near trivial. It was practically gossip, but to see Rey register this as such and smile wide enough to show her dimples made it well worth it.

"Did you help him out?" She asked, moving to settle herself between his thighs. 

"Talking about it helped him. I think he just wanted a go-ahead from somebody." Rey just chewed on her lip and nodded. He could tell that though Poe was a friend to her, she was more so concerned with Finn. But, Rey laid her head against his chest and made no attempt to voice her thoughts. 

"You know Finn won't drop you, even if the two of them do gut up. You never dropped him, and, keep in mind, he's not human, remember?" Ben said, hoping for it to get through to her. He could feel her tilt her head to the side, considering his words.

"You think that... we're actually going to figure the case out? And that we can actually do anything about it? This gonna add up to anything, you think?" Rey asked, fidgeting with her nails.

"You think we won't?" He asked, trying to make a joke of it.

"All we have is more questions," She said. "Like, why did he speak to her? Why should he care enough to?"

Ben hummed.

"Or, what was up with his gun?"

Ben could tell she wasn't exactly expecting a real answer back. But, he very much wanted to hear her and wanted her to be heard. And he could tell how much it begun to eat at her. Understandably so, as well. She was altogether, quite pent up. He grabbed her hand, and she instantly laced her fingers around his. "Rey,"

He could hear her let put a breath of air before she craned her neck up to look him in the eyes. "Are you okay? I never asked you... after you woke up from your vision with Pava."

She was looking at him so lovingly that it made his chest hurt. "I just had to be sure," She nodded her head.

"You're fine, and so am I. I'm okay." She brought their hands up and kissed his, reassuring him.

"If it helps you any, we _are_  getting answers. They're just in the form of questions." He let his head down to rest it on Rey's. "Now--" He snaked an arm around her waist--"Please, don't make me be the positive one. I'm not good at it."

Immediately, she threw a glare at him and smacked at the hand she'd been holding. Rey had to put her neck in that awkward angle again just to scold him. "Be quiet. Yes, you are." The reaction alone was twice as good as any dumb, self-deprecating comment he could've made.

While she was pretending he annoyed her, Ben planted a kiss on her, pressing hard on her lips. Quick enough to steal one away and leave it as that.

They were in such an odd angle for a kiss, but Rey managed to use her hand against his thigh and _push_ , better deepening the kiss. What started off as a stolen kiss became reclaiming became panting breath became hands tangled in hair.

When the neck ache got to be too much, Ben broke it off. He fastened that grip on her torso and slid her up even tighter against him. He could feel her breathing hitch. And now, more importantly, they had to be quiet for this.

He could feel her long, elegant fingers wrapped around his bicep, and how they curled when he pushed his free hand under the thin band of elastic of her baggy pajama pants. As she rolled her hips back, writhing into him, Ben let impatient hands wander. With her head tucked under the crook of his neck, Rey was close enough to feel him and his every draw of breath as she rode onto his fingers.

Sweeter than the nails digging into his arm during, was hearing his name repeat on her lips in whispers. He worked along sensitive skin, needing to hear her whine until she fell apart on top of him. "I love y-"

They both stilled. Down by the front of the house, the front door opens and shuts, accompanied by the sound of keys. "Oh, for fuck's sake..."

Rey was already adjusting away from him. "Sounds like your dad's home,"

"It does sound like it," Ben said. He was able to sit forward now without the added weight of Rey on his chest. "I have to go anyway. It's late." Rey was already on her way down the structure.

Ben turned to go back inside when he saw her pull herself back up out of the corner of his eye. "I forgot." She crossed her arms in front of her, staying planted there purely by her own upper body strength. "Goodnight, and I love you."

Ben leaned down toward her, and just before their lips could touch again, Rey rushed and hand through his hair and then dashed away (very much to Ben's annoyance). "... Love you too."

He really should've at least saw that one coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> • Alright enough fooling around. Next chapter we'll actually get more action and plot. Plenty too.  
> •Another reason this took so much longer was because I decided to go through my plans and get rid of a lot of unnecessary scenes, like the beginning scene with Poe here. I was just going to scratch it out too but I had already written myself into an unnecessary and time-consuming hole. So, I just tried to hopefully have it be entertaining.  
> •If you have any questions about the fic I welcome them, so drop something in the comments. I promise you an answer back. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> There's obviously a very Twin Peaks feel to this already, but (unfortunately) there won't be quite so much weirdness surrounding this. If you haven't watched Twin Peaks yet, you are really missing out on some clever and very weird shit. I'm currently working on the second season.
> 
> If you're at all curious about why Rey is wearing make-up, it's all about the color symbolism. That's all. This fic has everything to do with colors- Black before Rey stumbled upon a body, Red for Rey's make-up...
> 
> Donnie Darko playing in the background was a bit of a nod to myself I suppose. You see, this was originally supposed to just a be a one shot, but I had way too many ideas for it. So on Devil's Night, I was writing the one shot while Donnie Darko was playing in the background.
> 
> If you have any questions about the fic I welcome them, so drop something in the comments. I promise you an answer back :)


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